What's To come Is Still Unsure
by LorelaiSquared
Summary: When the Doctor abandons Rose in Pete's world with his counterpart, they must learn to live without him. Slowly they build a life together that is filled with love, adventure, danger, and more surprises than either had ever thought possible.
1. Chapter 1

It would take a whole essay to properly explain how this story came to be, but the short version is that it was born in an email conversation with **gioiamia** last May, and was resurrected in September when **wiggiemomsi** requested that I work on this epic love story as her support stacie fic.

This story wouldn't exist without the help I received from many people. My heartfelt thanks go out to **cookie2697** for her invaluable brainstorming, nitpicking, enthusiasm and support throughout the entire process of writing and editing this massive epic. I'm not kidding when I say that I could not have done this without her - she practically deserves a co-writing credit. *squishy hugs*

I'd also like to thank **tardismate**, **rumpelsnorcack**, **meremoon** and **earlgreytea68** for the suggestions, support and enthusiasm that they offered along the way. *massive hugs to you all*

The title of this story comes from a line of a Shakespeare Sonnet called "O Mistress Mine".

**What's To Come Is Still Unsure**

Chapter 1

He wasn't _her _Doctor.

She stood on the beach, studying the man beside her. He looked and acted like the Doctor. The hand entwined in hers even felt like the Doctor. Yet, only moments before, the TARDIS had vanished with her Doctor inside, and all that was left was this man who should be right for her, but _wasn't. _

After years of searching for the Doctor, she'd finally found him, only to end up right back where she started - in Bad Wolf Bloody Bay. Suddenly she was filled with so much hurt and rage that it startled her. _How could he?_ After all they'd been through together, all she'd done to get back to him, how could he just abandon her?

She blinked back tears, remembering the elation she'd felt when she'd finally found him, as they'd run toward each other on the street; her devastation as he fell to the ground in front of her; her joy that he hadn't regenerated into a new person. All that and within twenty four hours he'd dumped her back on the beach where it all began.

Did he even care about her at all? How could he just walk away from her like that? She choked on a sob. He'd left her. Plain and simple. And she couldn't do a thing about it.

"You didn't even give me a choice," she whispered to the air as a single tear rolled down her face. "You never asked me what I wanted."

"How could you?!?!?" She screamed, falling to her knees as more tears began to flow. "How could you just leave me? I thought you... I came so far..." Her voice broke and she gave into her sobs, choking and gulping as she let out her pain. "You didn't even say goodbye..."

The new Doctor knelt beside her, rubbing her back consolingly. Startled, she looked up at him through tear- streaked eyes, feeling ashamed for indulging in such emotion and forgetting that he was stranded too. Compassion and understanding radiated from his eyes, as he continued to comfort her. Confusion and guilt overwhelmed her then, sweeping over her like a black cloud, stirring and strengthening her anger at the other Doctor.

She hiccupped and tried to calm herself down, knowing that he needed her to be strong even though she wanted nothing more than to fall apart.

"He thought he was doing what was best for you, for us. He wanted to give us a chance," the new Doctor said softly, hesitantly brushing her hair out of her eyes.

Her eyes narrowed in accusation. "Who's he to decide what's best for me? What about what_ I_ want? Doesn't he know how long I fought to get back to him? How hard it was? And what about you? He shouldn't be making people's choices for them."

The new Doctor tilted her chin upward so he could see her eyes. "And if he had given you a choice, what would you have chosen?"

She was about to say, 'Him', when she noticed the vulnerability and fear written in his eyes. "I… I don't know," she admitted, realizing that it was true.

He nodded. "Fair enough."

She studied him for a moment. "How can you be so calm? He abandoned you, too."

He shrugged. "He had his reasons." He grinned. "Besides, I have you."

She smiled tentatively, drying her tears. "I'm sorry, to fall apart like this. It has nothing to do with you."

"I know." He stood and offered his hand to help her up.

She sighed and accepted his help. There was nothing more she could do. She could be angry, she could be upset, but it wouldn't take her back. He'd left her here and now she had to pick up the pieces and move on. She looked down at the hand holding hers and realized that she wasn't being fair to him. She was being incredibly selfish and ungrateful. This had to be a terrible shock to him too; after all, he'd barely existed until a few hours before.

With one final glance at the spot where her Doctor had left her, she resolved to move forward and appreciate the gift she'd been given. "Come on," she said shakily, "Mum's waiting, we should go."

He nodded and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "We should."

*****

The next few weeks were difficult for both Rose and the new Doctor. While he struggled to adjust to a 'normal' human life without access to all of time and space, she alternated between anger at the Doctor who had left her and confusion about what to do with the Doctor in front of her.

"He needs a name," Jackie told her daughter one evening.

"He has a name," Rose retorted.

Jackie scoffed. "If he's going to try and fit in like a human, he needs a proper name, like Jack or Ryan. He can't go around telling people to call him Doctor."

"But that _is_ his name," Rose insisted.

Jackie ignored her. "We could call him Steven, that's a nice name." Rose wrinkled her nose. "Okay then, Paul. Or Adam."

"He doesn't need a new name, Mum."

"But he'll probably pick something boring like 'John Smith'. Where's the fun in that?" Jackie complained.

"He's just 'the Doctor', why do you keep trying to change him?"

"Because he makes you sad." The truth of her mother's words cut right to the center of Rose's gut.

"That has nothing to do with his _name_, Mum. I'm sad because I miss him, the real Doct--" The words died on her lips when she noticed the new Doctor standing in the doorway.

He met her gaze and held it for a moment, his eyes filled with what seemed to be a mixture of pain and disappointment. Then his eyes darkened and he turned around, walking away from her.

Rose felt as thought she'd been punched in the stomach as she was hit with a tidal wave of guilt and regret. Once again she'd become so wrapped up in herself and her own feelings that she hadn't paid any heed to his.

Before she could change her mind, she raced out of the room.

"Wait!" she called after him.

He paused, mid-stride, raising his eyebrow at her questioningly.

She jogged the last bit and stopped a few feet away from him. "I'm sorry," she said softly, her breath coming in audible gasps. "What I said back there to Mum - I didn't mean it."

"Yes, you did." Anger flashed in his eyes and Rose took a step back.

"I - I - I'm sorry," Rose mumbled unsure of how to fix this.

"You're always sorry, Rose. Stop being sorry and open your eyes to what's right in front of you." He closed the distance between them in three quick steps. For a moment she thought he was going to try to kiss her, but instead, he gazed intently into her eyes. "_I'm_ the DOCTOR, Rose, and _I_didn't leave you on that beach. I'm right here." Then, without warning, he took her hand and pulled her down the hallway. "Come, I want to show you something."

He led her to a room at the end of the hall. She'd seen him enter this room more than a dozen times since they'd arrived and she had been curious about what he'd been doing inside. She supposed she was about to find out.

He opened the door and beckoned for her to enter ahead of him. She stepped forward, her heart beating rapidly in anticipation, though of what, she didn't know. To her surprise, it wasn't a room at all, just a round cubby filled with pinkish purple lights. She looked at him in confusion. "What's this?"

He grinned and followed her inside. "It's a teleport. Sontaran technology. Funny thing about parallel worlds - the same events will occur with almost identical results."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Sontarans visited our universe too, Rose. They came close to destroying the earth but Donna, Martha and I - we stopped them. Pete told me that a similar thing happened here, only it was Torchwood who stopped them." While he spoke, he circled the teleport, adjusting switches and wires as he moved. "They managed to salvage the teleport and replicate it so that certain Torchwood employees could travel between offices. He gave me permission to use it for a little project I'm working on."

Rose stared at him. "Well, you've certainly got his gob."

"Hey!" he said indignantly. "This gob is all mine."

Rose laughed. "If you say so."

He paused, pulling something from his pocket as he fiddled with a panel to the side.

Rose gasped, it was identical to the Sonic Screwdriver she was so familiar with. "Where did you get that?"

"Made it myself." He beamed proudly, aiming it at the panel.

Her eyes widened. "Wow. Okay then."

The corners of his mouth turned upward as he continued his task. "There." He stood up, pocketing the sonic.

"What did you do?"

"Just a little minor tweaking so Torchwood can't track us. Wouldn't want them to find it."

"Find what? Where are we going?"

He took her hand and pressed a button. "You'll see."

Suddenly, Rose felt a jerk in her lower abdomen as the floor disappeared from beneath her feet. Before she had a chance to panic, she felt solid ground again.

They were in a dark, cavernous space. It appeared to be underground and there was scientific equipment scattered all over the place. Near the center of the room was a large glass tube that looked a bit like a giant terrarium. He pulled her toward it.

At first she thought it was empty, but out of the corner of her eye she could see something green and glowing. She knelt down to look at it more closely. "That's the piece of TARDIS the Doctor gave you on the beach." She looked up at him in wonder. "Are you growing one?"

He nodded and knelt beside her, pressing his hand to the glass near the tiny piece of TARDIS. "It should take about five years, thanks to the handy acceleration techniques I've implemented. Short little human life, after all, no time to waste waiting for the typical growth cycle!" He stroked the glass gently. "But she's not doing well for some reason. I think she's going to take a bit longer than I had hoped."

His voice was filled with sadness and Rose felt a sudden urge to reach out to him. She settled for resting her hand over his. "What's wrong with her?" she asked softly.

He sighed. "I'm not sure. It's almost like she's sick, or weak, or sad. I've visited every day since we've been here and there's been no change." His voice broke. "I'm worried she's not going to make it. That's why I moved her here."

Rose looked around again, noticing abandoned medical supplies and weapons scattered across the floor. "What is this place?"

"It's the Torchwood base in Cardiff."

"Cardiff?" Rose frowned for a moment then brightened as realization dawned. "The Rift!" she exclaimed excitedly. "You're hoping the rift will feed the TARDIS!"

He beamed at her proudly. "That's right." His face fell. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be making a difference."

Rose reached out and touched his cheek gently. "I'm sorry... Look, I know you're real," she said quietly. "It's just, I keep forgetting that you're him, that he's you..." She trailed off, once again stumped by the complexities of pronouns. "It's all so confusing, you know."

"That's just it, I _don't_ know." He glanced down, taking her hand and squeezing it before continuing. "Rose, I'm still him, just like I would be if I'd regenerated and had a new face. I remember every moment we've ever spent together. Every joke, every tear. I remember what it felt like to have you ripped away from me at Canary Wharf. I remember the pain I felt for _years_ as I mourned your loss, tried to move on. I remember the elation when I finally saw you again, as I ran toward you. That was all _me,_Rose. Those are my memories, my past. The only difference is that I'm half human. Other than that, in everyway that matters, I _am_ the Doctor." He raised his voice near the end, his frustration evident.

"I'm trying to believe that," she whispered.

His face softened as he smoothed her hair out of her eyes. "I know, and I'll wait for you, as long as it takes. But I needed you to know, I'm as real as that TARDIS over there, and I'm not going anywhere."

Rose took his hand. "I believe you... Doctor." The word rolled off her tongue like an old friend returning after a long absence.

Despite her hesitation, the Doctor smiled, just as she'd hoped he would.

"Thank you," he whispered. "That's the first time you've called me by my name since he left." Then, to her surprise, he reached out and pulled her into a tight hug.

Rose sank into the embrace, feeling more at peace than she had in months. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the green glow from the TARDIS pulsating rapidly and increasing in luminosity as it reflected off the wall.

After several moments, they broke apart, and the Doctor draped his arm over her shoulder as they walked back to the teleport. "Let's go home."

*****

Rose began to make an effort to call him 'Doctor', and not 'new Doctor', or 'other Doctor', or any of the other names she had previously taken to calling him in her head. At first it still didn't feel quite right to her, but it became more and more natural to her over time. She studied him while he wasn't looking, taking in the little nuances and characteristics that reminded her of the original Doctor: the way he babbled nonsensically when he was excited; the way he tugged his ear when he was thinking; the way he ruffled his hand through his hair at the slightest provocation. The more time she spent with him, the more she began to notice and admire small things that were unique to him: the way he hummed while he worked; the way he bit his cheek when he was nervous; the way he tapped his foot when he was happy. Little by little he became _her_ Doctor and though Rose couldn't pinpoint when it happened exactly, she eventually stopped comparing him to the other Doctor and started to appreciate him for himself.

Gradually, life began to reach a certain level of normalcy. Torchwood hired Rose back right away, and with a little prodding offered the Doctor a job in the extraterrestrial investigations department. Though they were forced to remain on the same planet now, their work adventures were remarkably similar to the time when they'd travelled the universe together in the TARDIS. The Doctor still had a knack for getting himself into the most peculiar fixes and it seemed to Rose that they were almost _always_ running from something.

Or in this case, running _after_ something, Rose thought wryly, as she held a pack of ice to the Doctor's arm. He'd scraped it up badly that afternoon by leaping off of a moving train to capture a low-level threat. Just like in days past, the Doctor continued to throw himself into the middle of an adventure with no regard for his own mortality. She wanted to be concerned about his carelessness, but he was safe, the threat was gone, and it was just so typical of him that she shook it off, patching him up with barely a second thought.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. She reluctantly handed the ice pack off to the Doctor, and called out for the person to enter.

Carl, a young and enthusiastic member of their team, poked his head through the door. "You have a mo, Rose? I think you'll be interested in this." He held up a folder.

Rose nodded and gestured to the table in the center of the room. "Sure, have a seat."

She sat across from him as he opened the folder, and slid it toward her. He scooted his chair over so that it was next to hers and pointed to a section of the document.

"This is the inventory of the warehouse that was taken last week." He leaned across her, turning the page. "And this is the one taken last night. Notice anything strange?"

Rose peered at it carefully, flipping between the two pages as she scanned the nearly identical lists. Carl stood and placed his hand on her back as he read over her shoulder.

BANG! Both of them jumped as the sudden noise erupted on the other side of the room. Rose looked over to see the Doctor picking up a pile of books that he'd knocked on the floor. He seemed to have it under control, so she turned back to Carl and the list. "Oh!" She gasped suddenly, gripping Carl's wrist. "Item DC2697 is missing!" She frowned as, out of the corner of her eye she noticed the Doctor kick the filing cabinet.

"Owww, owww, owww," he yelped, hopping up and down, grasping at his toe.

Rose rolled her eyes. He could be such a baby sometimes. "Oh, you're fine. Get over here and look at this will you?"

The Doctor scowled, and Rose couldn't miss the glare he sent to Carl as he walked over to them. The Doctor placed his hand possessively on her shoulder before taking the folder. Carl eased back into his chair, watching them closely.

"No, it can't be!" the Doctor exclaimed suddenly, frowning at the paper. "That's not the Dimension Cannon is it?"

Rose nodded. "It is."

"But how does something like that just go missing?"

Carl shrugged. "I don't know. It was there last week, now it's not. We're looking into it. I just thought Rose would want to know since it was her project."

"Thank you for letting us know," the Doctor said coldly, striding to the door and holding it open for him.

"Keep us posted," Rose called as Carl quickly scuttled out of the room.

The Doctor slammed the door before Carl could respond. Without looking at Rose, he returned to his desk and bent to pick up the rest of the books that he'd dropped on the floor earlier.

Rose pursed her lips and wandered over to him, stilling his motions with her hand on his arm.

"Doctor? What's wrong?" She asked gently, hoping to coax him into answering.

"Nothing." He dumped the books on his desk, slumped in a chair and began to flip through another folder, keeping his eyes resolutely glued to the page.

"You're sulking," she accused.

"I'm not. I'm busy, that's all."

"Doctor, I've known you for years. You can't fool me." She inched closer so she was leaning against his desk. She folded her arms and looked down at him.

He finally lifted his head long enough to glare at her. "Fine, if you know me so well, you tell me why I'm sulking."

A smile spread over her lips. That was easy. "You're jealous."

"Ha!" He scoffed. Standing up and hugging the folder to his chest. "I'm not."

"You are. I saw the nasty look you shot at Carl a moment ago. And what was all that stuff with the banging and the kicking?"

"I just don't see why he has to keep touching you."

"See? You're jealous." She moved closer, removing the folder from his grasp and tossing it onto the desk. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"I'm not --" he began defensively before her words registered. "Wait. Cute? Really?"

Rose's laugh was light and airy. "Oh yes, definitely."

He grinned at her then, looking rather proud of himself. "You think I'm cute."

"I do." She held his gaze and a spark sizzled between them. Her breath hitched in her chest and she leaned forward so that her lips were hovering just above his. "You have nothing to be jealous about," she whispered, just before their lips met. She captured his lips in a passionate kiss, her tongue pressing between them, demanding entrance.

His initial shock seemed to dissipate and she felt him melt against her, his arms ravelling around her, pulling her into a tight embrace as he parted his lips and deepened the kiss.

*****

The Doctor returned from his visit to the TARDIS that evening bursting with excitement.

"Rose!" he cried excitedly, rapping on her door and entering without waiting for a reply. "Rose, you have to see!"

Rose peered at him over the top of her book, arching her eye questioningly. "What is it?"

"The TARDIS!" he exclaimed, practically jumping up and down. "It grew."

"It's grown before."

"Not like this," he insisted, prying the book from her hand and pulling her off the bed. "You have to see for yourself."

He practically dragged her down the hall in his haste to get her to the teleport. Rose laughed. "Slow down a little, Doctor. You're making me dizzy."

They reached the teleport room, and the Doctor grinned at her as he threw open the door and quickly began pressing the necessary buttons. It took less time than it had on their first trip and before she knew it she was stepping into the abandoned Torchwood offices in Cardiff.

She barely had time to process her surroundings before the Doctor's warm hand was in hers again, propelling her toward the glowing incubator that housed the TARDIS. He stopped in front of it, practically vibrating with glee, and she grinned, his delight contagious.

He dropped to his knees and placed his hands gently on the glass. "Look Rose," he said softly. "She's almost doubled in size. She's healthy again." His eyes shone with happiness.

Rose knelt beside him, gazing at the TARDIS with wonder. "How?" she asked.

"I don't know. When I was here yesterday, she had grown a little but she was still unwell, still struggling. Then today, here she is, thriving."

Rose placed her hand over his where it touched the glass. "You were worried about her, weren't you?" she whispered.

He met her gaze, a mixture of hope, sadness and loneliness radiating from his eyes. "I was. Oh, Rose, I miss it so much. Not just the travelling, but the hum of the TARDIS, the way she fills my head with life and love."

Her other hand stroked his cheek reassuringly. "You'll have that again." She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly.

When she pulled away, the Doctor was grinning. He planted a quick kiss on her lips, then turned to glance at the incubating TARDIS once more. "You know, I think you're right. Look, she seems be glowing even brighter than she was a few minutes ago."

Rose beamed. "So she is."

He stood up, pulling her with him. "One day, I'll be able to show you the stars again."

Rose gripped his hand tightly. "I can't wait."

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: This story wouldn't exist without the help I received from many people. My heartfelt thanks go out to **cookie2697 **for her invaluable brainstorming, nitpicking, enthusiasm and support throughout the entire process of writing and editing this massive epic. I'd also like to thank **tardismate, gioiamia, rumpelsnorcack, meremoon **and **earlgreytea68** for the suggestions, support and enthusiasm that they offered along the way. *massive hugs to you all*

Chapter 2

Throughout the rest of that autumn, the Doctor and Rose grew increasingly closer. There were thousands of stolen glances, gentle touches, tantalizing kisses. Rose was more certain of her relationship with him with each passing day and she enjoyed every moment of time that she spent with him, both at work, and in private. The longer she was with him, the less she thought about how they had ended up here together. The past became irrelevant as she grew more invested the present.

The first time it had snowed that winter, they had been walking home from work. They were strolling hand in hand along the waterfront, a block away from the house, when the first white flakes began to drift down from the clouds above.

"Real snow!" the Doctor exclaimed, breaking the companionable silence that had surrounded them as they'd walked.

Rose laughed. "As opposed to what? Fake snow?"

"Welllll not exactly. Don't you remember our first Christmas together?"

Rose smiled as she thought back to that time. On the one hand it seemed like it had happened only yesterday, yet on the other hand, it felt so very far away. "The Sycorax ship," she whispered finally.

"Precisely." The Doctor stopped walking as they reached the house and he looked up at the sky in wonder. "It's been a long time since I've seen real snow."

Rose watched him for a moment, her lips curving upward as several plump snowflakes landed along his cheeks and melted. One snowflake managed to stick to his eyelash in such a way that it moved as he blinked. Fascinated, Rose stood on tip-toe and gently tilted his head downward so she could kiss it off. He sighed contentedly when she touched him, provoking her to trail a delicate line of kisses down his face until their mouths met. Heated tension soared between them as the kissed intensified with Rose at its helm.

She backed him toward the mansion until he was pressed against the door. Somewhere along the way he had slipped his hand beneath her shirt, and as his fingers grazed her bare skin she ground her lower body against his.

Suddenly, he pushed away from her, breaking all contact between them. Without a word, he disappeared into the house, leaving Rose in the snow, alone and confused, trying to figure out exactly what the issue was.

Rose knew that part of the problem was that the Doctor was unsure of her feelings. He didn't want to push her, nor did he want to assume that what she wanted was a relationship with him. Rose herself was still a bit uncertain of what exactly she wanted, but he was extremely important to her and she found herself missing him desperately whenever they were apart for any duration of time. By the time spring came, Rose was beginning to realize that the Doctor already held her heart, and she knew that the trick would be convincing him.

They visited the TARDIS regularly and it had continued to grow, though there had been nothing as pronounced as on the day the Dimension Cannon had gone missing. The Doctor was pleased with the progress it was making, and he'd begun to hope that it wouldn't take as long to mature as he had first feared.

They would often sit and talk when they visited the TARDIS, appreciating the privacy that the Cardiff offices provided. They spent many hours there discussing the missing Dimension Cannon, trying to puzzle the significance of its disappearance.

"We've spent _ages_ looking for it," The Doctor said practically, during one of their regular visits. "But there's no sign of it. I think maybe it's time we gave up."

Rose gaped at him. "Give up? But don't you want to know what happened to it? Who took it?"

"Yes, of course I do. But it's been months now, and I don't see how we can justify wasting any more hours on finding it when there are more pressing matters than need our time and attention."

"You really think we should stop looking?" She asked uncertainly as he brushed hair from her eyes and his hand lingered on her cheek.

"I do," he replied regretfully. "I'm sorry Rose. I know how much it means to you, but it's a cold case. It might never be found. I'm not saying we can't still keep our eyes and ears open for it, but I think we need to stop actively searching for it."

She was silent for a moment before nodding her head slowly. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"You're probably right. It's just that…" she paused awkwardly, as though searching for the right phrasing. "Nevermind."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, his eyes edged with a hint of sadness. "I'm sorry, Rose."

"It's all right." She cleared her throat and forced a smile. "I'm just surprised at you is all. You hate to give up." Her teasing tone seemed to put him at ease.

"Oh, hush you," he shot back, amusement clouding the tension that had been in his voice before. "You think you know me so well."

"I do." She leaned in until their lips were nearly touching.

"I suppose that's ..." Before he could finish his thought, she kissed him, rendering the conversation clearly concluded.

*****

Torchwood was in chaos. People ran frantically from department to department. Everyone was talking over each other. When Rose and the Doctor arrived, refreshed from the warm spring evening, the insanity that greeted them was overwhelming. They shared a bewildered glance, then dove into the fray.

Carl rushed over. "Good, you're here. You need to see this. Maybe you'll know what it means. No one else seems to have a clue." He ushered them toward a flashing, beeping monitor.

"What is that?" Rose asked, pointing to a red area of the screen.

"Yes," the Doctor said, taking off his glasses and peering at it closely. "Good question, Rose. What is that indeed?" He grinned at her. "I love a good mystery."

"I know." She laughed with him until he turned back to the computer.

He punched in a series of commands, his frown deepening with each stroke. "Huh, well that's unusual." More key strokes. "Oooooh, what have we got here?"

He enlarged the image and beckoned Rose closer. She stood behind him, her hand resting on his shoulder as she studied the screen. "But that looks like..."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed before she could finish. "Electromagnetic vortatextural anomaly." He did that cute little laugh that Rose loved so much and she couldn't help grinning at him. "Brilliant!"

Carl stared from one to the other a look of deep perplexity on his face. "What is that?"

"Basically, it's an energy spike," Rose supplied.

"Oh, it's much more than that, Rose. Someone, or something is trying to manipulate time and space."

Her eyes widened. "Do you think it's the Dimension Cannon?"

"It's possible. I can't tell for sure from these readings."

She looked at them more closely. "Actually, they look a lot like the readings we got when I was trying to use the Dimension Cannon to..." She trailed off, uncomfortable under the Doctor's serious gaze.

Carl's gasp broke the silence. "But who would be trying to use it now? It could destroy the whole fabric of reality!"

"The bigger question is why? What are they trying to accomplish?" The Doctor tugged on his ear and paced agitatedly. "That's what we need to find out. Carl, can you trace these readings?"

"Definitely." Carl quickly typed in a string of numbers and a map of the city appeared beneath the readings. "They're coming from the waterfront. Millwall Outer Dock."

"Excellent. When did they start?"

"Umm." Carl typed another series of keys. "The last spike occurred nine minutes ago."

"We'll have to move quickly then. Rose and I will go ahead. Call Johnson and tell him to send his team after us." He turned to Rose and held out his hand to her. "Ready?"

She beamed, entwining her fingers with his. "Always."

"I love this part." He almost giggled. "Run."

They ran, hand in hand, stride for stride, never ceasing until they reached the Millwall Outer Dock

As they rounded the corner, their feet pounding against the dock, they could hear voices and shuffling feet. A series of splashes reached their ears as they approached the end of the pier. The Doctor stopped running, his hand tightening in Roses, warning her to stay still. There was something there, moving in the night. They walked cautiously forward, hands clasped and hearts beating as they neared it. An odd sort of whimper filled the air and Rose began to suspect that whatever was out there was injured. Finally they were close enough to see, but still far enough away that whatever it was couldn't touch them.

Rose gasped. "No. It can't be."

"What?" The Doctor squinted his eyes and tilted his head sideways, his face rife with confusion. "What's an Ood doing here? There shouldn't be any Ood on planet earth in this time."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked as they took a step toward it.

"Back in the other Universe, Donna and I visited the Oodsphere where the Ood are from. We discovered that the Ood were innately peaceful creatures, but the humans of the future were enslaving them by replacing one of their brains with a translation circuit."

"You mean that orb thing?"

"Exactly. They were using it to control the Ood." He tugged his ear as he thought aloud. "They can't have started it early in this universe though. The technology needed is way beyond what earth has now, so it's impossible that it's humans. It must be something else that brought it here. The Ood would never leave their home planet without help… or coercion."

"Wait, what are you saying? Does that mean the Ood isn't alone?"

"It can't be." He frowned. "Not unless things are different here. But I doubt that."

The Ood in front of them moaned suddenly, and Rose let go of the Doctor's hand to kneel beside it.

The creature looked up at her with sad, pain filled eyes. "He's hurt."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the Ood. "He must have been injured by the energy spike. Dangerous thing, messing with time." Johnson's team had arrived and he motioned for him to come forward. "We need a few of your guys to take him back to the office so Doctor Millar tend to his injuries. Then we need the rest of your team to search the area; we don't think this Ood was acting alone. " Rose moved out of the way and two men, dressed all in black, lifted the Ood and carried him off the dock.

The Doctor turned back to Rose. She was now several feet away staring down at a large, black object. She picked it up, her hands shaking with excitement. "Look. It _was_ the Dimension Cannon that caused the disturbance."

"So it was." The Doctor's voice was suddenly cold and distant. Rose frowned as tension pulsated between them.

"Doctor, aren't you happy that we've found it? We've been looking for it for months."

"I'm very happy for you, Rose." His voice was flat.

"What do you mean, you're happy for me? It was stolen from Torchwood and now we've got it back." She handed the Dimension Cannon to Johnson, silently motioning for him and his team to head back to Torchwood, as she walked toward the Doctor. "It has nothing to do with me."

"It has everything to do with you, Rose." There was something else in his tone now, something bitter, angry.

She was standing in front of him now, and in one swift movement she placed her hands on either side of his face, tilting it toward her so she could see his eyes. The pain she saw there cut deep into the core of her heart. "Doctor, please, tell me what's wrong." The desperation in her own voice frightened her and the corners of her eyes were pooling with tears.

"Nothing is wrong, Rose." He insisted, though his eyes betrayed him. "We have the Dimension Cannon again, you're free to find your way back to him."

Rose gaped at him, her hands falling to her sides. "What?"

"You have access to all of Torchwood's resources, not to mention my Time Lord brain. Now that we've finally found the Dimension Cannon, we have everything we need to send you back."

Rose was flabbergasted. "Why would I want to go back when I love _you_?"

He started to speak but no sound came out. He stared at her for a long moment as though still processing what she had said. Suddenly, the pain in his eyes was gone and he was reaching out to her. He engulfed her in her arms and crushed his lips to hers in a kiss more passionate and urgent than any they'd shared in all their months together. Rose gasped in surprise and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth finding hers and engaging in a frantic dance that left them both panting and breathless.

He broke the kiss out of necessity, resting his forehead against hers, sliding his hands to her waist and pulling her in closer so that she was pressed against his lean body. She met his eyes, and her heart, already pounding furiously, beat faster still. A tiny tremor of need and excitement started in her belly and built, spreading outward as she continued to gaze at him. She was dizzy with desire for him and as soon as she could breathe again she kissed him deeply, infusing the motion with all the love that she felt for him. He responded, returning her kiss with unparalleled fervour.

Soon, the joining of their lips was no longer enough, and hands slipped beneath clothing as flesh met flesh. It was only when Rose felt cool air against her exposed back that she finally came to her senses. She reluctantly broke their embrace, and met his eyes. The fire she saw in them matched her own, and her heart skipped a beat. "Doctor," she managed to whisper.

His chest was rising up and down as he said, "Yes, Rose?"

She took both of his hands in hers. "Take me home so we can finish this properly?"

He squeezed her hands, his eyes now shining with emotion. "Certainly."

*****

Rose opened her eyes slowly, luxuriating in the feel of the Doctor's arm around her waist as he cradled her against his body in sleep. Careful not to wake him, she twisted around so she could see his face. He looked so calm and peaceful that it brought a smile to her lips. She had never really seen the Doctor sleep before, as he'd always claimed he didn't need to. But this Doctor, _her_ Doctor, was different, human. She smiled again as she began to fully realize the ramifications of his humanity.

Recently she had become aware that she was aging. Nothing major, just little things like creases forming near her eyes, and slight changes in the texture and colour of her hair, she was no longer in her early twenties and it showed. As she studied the Doctor now, she could see that he too was aging. There were the cutest lines forming above his forehead, probably because he furrowed it in confusion far too often. The fact that he was aging too was a comfort to her. It meant that she no longer had to worry about one day leaving him. They really and truly could grow old together. Her heart fluttered at the thought and she sighed softly.

The gentle sound roused the Doctor from his slumber and he woke, amusement playing across his lips as he caught her staring. She blushed and his grin spread wider. "Good Morning, Rose Tyler," he said in a low, gravely voice that sent shivers running up and down her spine.

Her pulse quickened and Rose had to catch her breath before she could say, "Good morning, Doctor."

He pressed his nose to hers and gazed into her eyes for a long moment. "I could get used to waking up to you in my bed," he whispered, planting a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose before placing his lips over hers.

He was silent for a time after that, lost in thought. "You know, in all the... excitement yesterday, I never made it over to see the TARDIS."

"I'm sorry," Rose said earnestly, "I didn't mean to distract you."

The Doctor laughed heartily. "Oh, Rose, you can distract me any time you want!"

"Careful, Doctor, I just might take you up on that," Rose chuckled, snuggling in closer.

"I'm counting on it." He kissed the top of her head. "I was just thinking that I should make sure I visit her today. She seems to get lonely if I'm not there."

"She's still growing though, right?" Rose asked, a trace of panic seeping through her words.

The Doctor nodded. "She's almost as high as my knee now."

The last time Rose had seen the TARDIS it had only been a few inches tall. Her chest suddenly ached with regret. She felt like she had just discovered that she'd missed a major milestone in the life of her own child. "Can I come with you?" she asked the Doctor softly.

Bemused by her sudden shyness, the Doctor nodded, laughter shining from his eyes. "I'd be delighted if you would."

"Thank you." Rose kissed him tenderly, rolled toward the edge of the bed and made to stand, but the Doctor, amused and touched by her eagerness, caught her wrist, stilling her.

"What's the rush?" he asked, pulling her back onto the bed.

"I thought we were...oh!" she gasped as he engulfed her in a searing kiss.

Her body responded instantly to the touch of his lips and soon they were entwined together in a repeat of their actions the previous evening. When they had both been satisfied beyond their wildest imaginings, they lay wrapped in each others' arms, revelling in the harmony of their union.

When the Doctor had regained his composure, he kissed her temple and whispered, "I love you, Rose Tyler."

******

Rose and the Doctor teleported into the Cardiff Torchwood offices hand in hand, giggling like a couple of love-sick teenagers.

They walked toward the center of the base, their hands slipping apart as they stopped abruptly, staring at the incubator in awe.

"I thought you said it was as tall as your knee," Rose accused.

The Doctor glanced from the TARDIS to Rose and back to the TARDIS. "It was," he told her, his voice infused with wonder. "Two days ago it was up to here." He made a sideways motion with his hand just below his knee.

"How could it have grown so fast? It _has_to be at least as tall as your shoulder now." Rose stepped closer to the TARDIS, brushing the Doctor's arm as she moved. As soon as their bodies made contact, the TARDIS pulsed with light. Startled, Rose jumped away, nearly twisting her ankle on a piece of grating. She started to tumble forward but the Doctor caught her easily, and instead of metal, Rose landed with a thud against the Doctor's firm chest.

Another flash of light burst from the TARDIS and Rose blinked, convinced that her eyes were playing tricks on her. "Did it just grow?" she asked, her eyes wide.

The Doctor frowned. "What? Impossible?" He pulled away from her to pace and as soon as they were no longer in contact, the glow from the TARDIS ebbed. The Doctor paused and looked back at her, his frown deepening. "Really?" He studied the TARDIS, it stood about an inch taller than his shoulder. "Rose, come here for a moment, I want to try an experiment."

Rose obliged, cautiously moving to stand beside him. "Doctor?"

"Take my hand." She did as he asked and immediately, soft light flared around the TARDIS. When he let her hand go, the light dissipated. "Huh," he mused, contorting his face in puzzlement. "It seems to be reacting to our touch. Let's try something else."

"Like what?"

"This." He planted his hands on either side of her face and kissed her gently, prying at the opening to her mouth with his tongue.

Rose sank into him, completely forgetting where they were and the purpose for the kiss as his tongue plundered her throat.

The TARDIS emitted a creaking sound then, causing them both to startle. They clung to each other as light surrounded them, flickering into the furthest corners of the room. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the light stopped, leaving Rose and the Doctor to gape at the TARDIS which now stood as high as the Doctor's chin.

"What just happened?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"She's reacting to us."

"But how?"

The Doctor frowned. "I'm not sure. But somehow she's connected to us."

He snapped his fingers, his face lighting up. "Yes. That's got to be it. Don't you see, Rose? All that time when you were unsure of me, when you had trouble seeing me as the Doctor, she was really sick, not growing or changing or anything. And then, after that day when I first brought you here, when you began to accept me, she started to grow, not a lot, but enough. In fact - " He tugged on his ear. "- she grew faster as we grew closer. Then when we kissed, that's when she got herself back on track! So then last night when we... she must have... wow." He stared at the TARDIS with a look of admiration on his face.

"Are you saying she grew so much because we made love?" Rose asked tentatively.

"It's more than that I think, more than physical. She's tied to our emotions." His put his finger over his eye as her reasoned it out. "Yes! That's it. Our love did this Rose!"

His excitement was contagious and Rose found herself beaming at him as adrenaline pumped through her body. "Wow."

He pulled her into a warm hug, smiling as the TARDIS reacted. "Indeed. Wow."

_To be continued_


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: This story wouldn't exist without the help I received from many people. My heartfelt thanks go out to cookie2697 for her invaluable brainstorming, nitpicking, enthusiasm and support throughout the entire process of writing and editing this massive epic. I'd also like to thank tardismate, gioiamia, rumpelsnorcack, meremoon and earlgreytea68 for the suggestions, support and enthusiasm that they offered along the way. *massive hugs to you all*

Chapter 3

The weeks and months that followed were incredibly busy for Rose and the Doctor. The Dimension Cannon had been altered slightly and they spent many hours at work puzzling over what exactly had been done to it and by whom. The alterations were highly sophisticated, and whoever had made them, had access to technology that would not be available on earth for years. As a result, the Doctor remained certain that the Ood were not working alone. He was convinced that someone, or something, off planet was pulling the strings. What he couldn't figure out was who it could be and that worried him more than anything else. In over 900 years of traveling in time and space, it was rare for him to come across technology that wasn't familiar to him. Whoever was controlling the Ood was powerful, and fearsome. He'd questioned the Ood they'd captured multiple times but the most he'd managed to get out of it was a snippet of a haunting tune.

At home, life was just as busy. Tony had started grade school and with that came a frenzy of panic as Jackie rallied the whole family into sending him off on his first day. Rose was continually finding herself playing mediator to her mother and the Doctor as they butted heads at nearly every turn. In the end, Jackie had won and the Doctor had posed for a photo commemorating Tony's big day.

Evenings were Rose's favourite part of the day, by far. She and the Doctor were perfectly comfortable together now and they spent hours talking about everything they could think of. The Doctor told her about traveling with Martha, and about Donna's stubborn efforts to keep him in check. Rose told him about trying to get the dimension cannon working, and the worlds she visited while trying to find him in the proper universe. They often ended their nightly conversations by making love and drifting to sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

As the months drifted past, they settled into a routine of visiting the TARDIS together on a regular basis. It continued to thrive, and much to the Doctor's delight, it had even begun to take on a suspiciously phone-box like shape. It was still at least a year from maturity, the Doctor had insisted, but still far ahead of his initial estimate.

It was after they returned from one of their daily TARDIS visits that Jackie managed to corner them in the hallway.

"I think it's time we had a wedding," she announced.

The Doctor looked at her, bemused. "Oh, well, congratulations."

Jackie scowled at him. "Not for me, you ninny."

"Right. You're already married." He frowned. "Wait, if it's not for you, who are you having a wedding for? Tony is a little young isn't he?"

Jackie scoffed. "Of course he is. I'm talking about you and Rose."

"What?" The Doctor's eyes widened. He looked at Rose.

Rose squeezed his arm and stepped forward. "Mum, we've been over this. We don't want a wedding."

"But you've been together for almost four years now. Don't you think it's time you made it official?" Jackie implored.

The Doctor sighed. "I don't need a ritual to tell me that I love Rose."

"Exactly." Rose nodded. "We're happy as we are. We know it's forever, and that's enough."

Jackie grunted in frustration. "But that's not a _marriage,_ sweetheart." Jackie reached out and touched her daughter's cheek, her voice softening. "Oh, Rose, what happened to your dreams? The ones you had as a little girl of white dresses and pretty flowers?"

"Those are a child's dream, Mum, I grew up."

Jackie stared at her daughter for a moment. "So you did," she said sadly, "So you did."

For several weeks after that, Jackie sulked, and shot pleading looks at them whenever she could. The Doctor was incredibly relieved when Jackie seemed to give up and forget about a wedding.

The Doctor was shocked, therefore, when he came home one Saturday in May to find the house in chaos. People he didn't know were running around carrying flowers and trays of food. The banister was decorated with bits of greenery interwoven with white twinkly lights and pale pink roses.

Pete rushed toward him. "Oh good, there you are. Jackie's been in a right state looking for you. Come on, we have to get you ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?" the Doctor cried as Pete dragged him down the corridor.

******

Half an hour later, he found himself standing in the foyer staring at Rose as she descended the stairs. She was wearing a beautiful knee-length white dress that flared out at the bottom. The top was perfectly fitted, draping over her chest into a deep, rounded vee. Most of her hair hung in loose curls that framed her face while the rest had been swept up into a beautiful arrangement of white and pink rosebuds. She glided toward him, shrugging apologetically and mouthing the word, "Mum". He stared at her, transfixed, no longer caring that Jackie had somehow managed to orchestrate this elaborate ceremony for them without either prior knowledge or permission.

He had to give Jackie credit. She'd certainly put a lot of thought into it. Instead of only hiring a priest to do a traditional ceremony, she'd also hired a spiritual leader who performed an ancient Irish hand-fasting ceremony. The Doctor watched in fascination as their hands were bound with rope made of green vines and Gaelic words were whispered aloud.

The minister began to recite the vows for him to repeat, and as the Doctor listened and gazed at the vision of beauty that was Rose, the words being said suddenly seemed so inadequate. He gazed into her eyes, and a million memories and moments flooded his consciousness: the moment they'd first met and the way her warm hand had felt so right in his cold palm; her determination as she stood up to him to (rightly) defend a bloody Dalek; the cold fear that had over taken him when he realized she'd absorbed the time vortex; his elation when she'd finally accepted his newly regenerated self; his despair as she'd been sucked toward the void.

Unable to bear the insufficient vows any longer, the Doctor cleared his throat loudly. The minister stopped abruptly, frowning as though displeased by the unorthodox interruption. Oblivious to everyone but Rose, the Doctor took a step closer to her, interlacing his finger with hers.

"Rose Tyler," he began, his voice thick with emotion. "I have loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you and told you to 'run'. From that moment on you have saved me in more ways than I ever imagined possible. You gave me the strength and courage to persevere despite my own loneliness and pain; you taught me to be compassionate again, to really see and understand people. You showed me that the impossible was possible, that I could have an amazing person by my side everyday to hold my hand when I most needed it and to reign me in when I lost myself a little. You taught me that life was worth living again, that it was worth fighting for, that _you_were worth fighting for." He paused, watching as tears formed in her eyes.

"You reminded me that the universe is beautiful and yet through all of that I found nothing more beautiful than you, nothing more precious than the person I have standing before me right now. I admire your courage and your unfailing determination to return to me when circumstances beyond our control separated us." His voice cracked and he had to swallow slowly before he could continue.

"Since being here with you, as this version of myself, I have fallen in love with you all over again and I don't ever want to let that go. I adore you, Rose Tyler, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Oh, Doctor," Rose whispered, squeezing his hand through their interlaced grasp. Without a word she stood on her tiptoes, her hands braced against his chest to steady her as she pressed her lips to his. The Doctor reacted instantly to her soft kiss, opening his mouth for her as he enveloped her in his arms and kissed her deeply. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was vaguely aware of the minister pronouncing them man and wife while applause erupted around them.

Following the ceremony, Jackie herded them both into the backyard for an elaborate reception, complete with dancing. After some rather vocal reluctance, the Doctor relented and allowed Rose to pull him onto the dance floor. The band was playing a gentle love song as the Doctor gathered Rose into his arms and held her close. He inhaled deeply, savouring the heady scent of the flowers in her hair mingled with the sweet, honey-like aroma that always emanated from her.

"So, I guess we're married now," Rose said, a soft smile lurking at the edges of her mouth.

"Yes, I guess we are." There was the tiniest hint of amusement in his voice.

"I know you didn't want all this." She gestured to the decorations and people that surrounded them. "You don't mind, do you?" She stopped dancing, and stepped back studying his face carefully.

"No, Rose, I don't mind." He cupped her cheek, smoothing the worry line on her forehead with his thumb. "I didn't need all this to know that you love me or that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, but it was kind of nice. And it made your mother happy, which I much prefer to when she's yelling at me, or slapping me."

Rose laughed. "She only slapped you that one time."

"Hey, once was enough!"

Rolling her eyes, Rose stepped back into his arms and they began to dance again. "You're such a big baby," she teased.

"I'm not, Jackie is scary, that's all I'm saying." He was sulking, and Rose couldn't help but find it adorable.

She stood on her tip toes so she could speak into his ear. "We've humoured Mum long enough, why don't we go visit the TARDIS after this song. That ought to cheer you up."

She could feel the grin with her jaw as it spread across his face. "Brilliant plan." He turned his head so their lips were touching. "I can tell her all about how I have a wife."

Rose's heart swelled as the word hung in the air. She was his _wife_ now. She hadn't really thought about it before but she was human enough to be delighted by the idea now that it was a reality. Her eyes sparkled as she pressed her lips to his in a quick but tender kiss. "And I can brag about my _husband_."

"And we can tell her how in love her parents are." The song ended and the Doctor hooked his elbow through hers, leading her off the dance floor. "At least with the TARDIS we don't have to worry about sibling rivalry." He smirked, casting Rose a mischievous glance. "Yet."

Her mouth widened in a circle of surprise as she realized what he meant. As she thought about it, her eyes began to sparkle and the corners of her lips pulled upwards into a grin. He had come a long way from the big-eared, toothy-grinned loner who refused to mingle in domestics, and she loved him as much now as she had then.

*****

Rose circled the TARDIS, her eyes wide with disbelief as she ran her hand along the blue wood. The glass incubator had vanished, revealing the familiar wooden blue phone box.

The Doctor pulled out his stethoscope and was pressing it to the door, checking to make sure the TARDIS really was as complete as it appeared to be. His brow was furrowed in concentration as Rose neared him, then his face broke into a delighted grin. "She's ready Rose."

"Do you think it was us? I mean this..." she gestured to her dress and the flowers in her hair.

He thought about it for a moment, tugging on his ear as he stared at the TARDIS questioningly. "You know, I think it might have been. When I did my readings yesterday I estimated that she'd be done within a year. I think the wedding may have accelerated the process."

"So in a way, Mum's responsible for this," Rose teased.

The Doctor gaped at her for a moment, then burst out laughing, "Yes, I suppose she is." He brushed his hand over the door then, and the contact caused the door to swing open. He reached for Rose's hand, "Ready to see what she looks like on the inside?"

She took his hand. "I thought you'd never ask."

They spent the next half hour exploring the new TARDIS. It was almost identical to the one Rose had grown so familiar with, though there were a few notable differences.

The console looked newer, and much less cobbled together, though there was a mallet leaning against it from the floor. The jump seat was long enough for both of them to sit comfortably and even for Rose to lie down on. She was already envisioning naps while she listened to the Doctor tinker.

The Doctor had squealed with delight when he'd discovered that the library had expanded. Now it was filled with not only the books he'd had in the TARDIS in his original universe, but also with a large collection of books from his new universe that he had never read., He'd tried to start reading them immediately, but Rose had pulled him away, eager to explore the rest of their ship.

Next to their bedroom was another surprise. It was a small room, with pale coloured walls and a black ceiling that cycled through a precise replica of the night sky for every known planet in the galaxy. Along the back wall was a beautifully carved cradle that stood on a stand next to an elegant rocking chair.

"Oh," Rose gasped, "It's a nursery!" She looked at the Doctor in wonder.

The Doctor stared at her, speechless. After a long beat he seemed to find his voice again. "So it seems." He strode to the cradle and ran his hand over the woody, organic surface. "But why?"

"I think she's trying to tell us something." Rose placed her hand over his and slowly he turned to her with a teasing glint in his eye.

"And what would that be?" His voice was low, suggestive, and it made Rose's pulse speed up.

She moved closer until her lips were almost brushing against his. "That with our love, anything is possible." She kissed him then, tenderly at first, then fiercely, passionately.

He reciprocated, drinking her in as he tangled his hands in her hair. Rose wrapped her arms around him, pressing him against her until she could feel the full length of his body melting into hers. The force of her movements propelled them both backwards until his knees met the edge of the rocking chair. The kiss ended abruptly as the Doctor landed in the seat with a thunk, rocking forward and back until he stilled the motion with his feet. They stared at each other a moment before bursting into hysterics.

As their laughter died down, the Doctor grew serious, his gaze thick with desire. "Come here." He tugged her hand gently until she was firmly seated in his lap. His mouth covered hers and she sighed, her hands tugging eagerly at his clothing, desperate to feel the warm flesh hidden beneath. In her haste, her hand brushed against the bulge of his trousers and it was his undoing. Without breaking contact with her lips, he gathered her into his arms and carried her into their brand new bedroom. He laid her on the bed, breaking the kiss only long enough to shed what was left of his clothing and hers. Then he joined her on the bed and proceeded to make long, passionate love to his incredibly beautiful and amazing wife.

Eventually they resurfaced, drunk from the pleasure of being together. They finally returned to the console room, and the Doctor circled the console, his fingers dancing over the many switches and dials eagerly, his whole body vibrating with energy. "Oh, she's so ready, Rose. She's humming away, awaiting our first adventure."

Rose's eyes were bright as she beamed at him. "You know, we did just get married, perhaps her inaugural journey should be our honeymoon?"

Their eyes locked, intense heat and passion crackling between them. Feeling oddly winded, the Doctor grinned back at her. "That's a brilliant idea. Our honeymoon can be a tour through time and space, I can't think of anything that would be more fitting for either of us. There are so many places I want to show you, Rose. We'll start with Cimera, and then move on to Venice - the planet, not the city... Oh! And Gabriola. I _must_ take you there."

Rose stilled him with a gentled touch on his arm. "Doctor, you do remember that this is a different universe, right? Those places might not exist here."

"Only one way to find out for sure." The Doctor pulled a lever and began to prepare the TARDIS for her premier take off.

"Wait!" Rose, cried. "We need to go to the Mansion first. Mum will worry if we just vanish, and I want to say goodbye to her and Pete and Tony. Plus I need to get my clothes and stuff."

The Doctor nodded and reset the panel with the new location and date.

Seconds later, they appeared in the Tyler's living room. The guests had all departed, and Jackie and Pete were nestled, exhausted on the chesterfield. Tony was kneeling on the floor nearby, surrounded by tiny, colourful lego bricks, and a long, elaborate train track. He looked up at the sound of the TARDIS his open mouth competing with his wide eyes for most shock as Rose and the Doctor emerged from within. Jackie had nearly jumped out of her skin and only Pete's arms had prevented her from slipping to the floor.

"Where did _that_ come from?" Jackie exclaimed when she recovered, gesturing to the TARDIS.

"I grew it," The Doctor explained. "From the small chunk the other Doctor gave me. It only finished today."

"Does it work? Is it reliable?" Jackie asked.

"As reliable as your driving allows," Rose whispered to the Doctor, who scowled, before turning to Jackie. "Of course it works, Mum, how else would we have gotten here in it?"

"Yeah," Jackie agreed distractedly, eying the TARDIS sceptically.

"We actually just came to pack before we go, we'll come say goodbye as soon as we're ready." Before Jackie could respond, Rose and the Doctor were half-way down the hall.

"Go where?" Jackie called after them but neither answered.

They returned to the living room a short while later, bags in tow. The Doctor took the bags into the TARDIS while Rose hugged her brother and told him she'd be back soon, and that she'd bring him something special from a distant planet. She hugged Pete next, thanking him for everything he'd done for them. Finally, she hugged her mother tightly. "You take care, you hear? We'll be back soon."

"But you can't go," Jackie called after Rose, who was disappearing into the TARDIS, "Pete paid for your honeymoon in Aruba already."

Rose popped her head out of the TARDIS door, a huge grin plastered on her face, "You guys take the trip, Mum. We're off to see the stars!"

Then, with a final wave, she closed the door behind her, and the TARDIS came to life, fading in and out until it vanished completely, transporting its occupants to unknown places, far, far, away.

_To Be Continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note:** Warning: This chapter is a bit angsty.

This story wouldn't exist without the help I received from many people. My heartfelt thanks go out to **cookie2697** for her invaluable brainstorming, nitpicking, enthusiasm and support throughout the entire process of writing and editing this massive epic. I'd also like to thank **tardismate**, **gioiamia**, **rumpelsnorcack**, **meremoon **and **earlgreytea68** for the suggestions, support and enthusiasm that they offered along the way. *massive hugs to you all*

The title of this story comes from a line of a song in Shakespeares "Twelfth Night" commonly called "O Mistress Mine".

Chapter 4

Rose leaned against one of the coral beams of the TARDIS with a grin on her face as she watched the Doctor bounce around the console pressing buttons and pulling levers. It wasn't long before his foot was being used to press something in one area while he leaned over the console to grab something on the other side. Rose would have offered to help, but she knew he had missed flying desperately and felt instinctively that the Doctor needed to make this inaugural flight solo.

The TARDIS jerked suddenly and Rose clung to the pillar, sharing a delighted glance with the Doctor as the TARDIS landed.

"I have to say, that was one of the most graceful landings I've ever seen you make," Rose teased as the Doctor pulled on his jacket and took her arm. "So, now are you going to tell me where you've brought us?"

An amused smile pulled at his lips and he shook his head. "You'll see." They'd reached the door and he made a motion for her to open it.

She pushed through the doors and was immediately greeted by an expanse of bright green grass. Rose squealed, practically jumping up and down as she pulled the Doctor outside. "Applegrass!" She exclaimed. "You brought us to New Earth."

The Doctor pretended to look confused. "Did I?" Then he beamed at her. "I thought you'd like to see what it was like in this universe."

Rose squealed again, throwing her arms around him. "It's perfect! Thank you." She hugged him tightly, resting her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes, feeling completely peaceful as she inhaled the sweet apple scent of the grass and the crisp sea air.

When she pulled away, one arm still around his waist the Doctor looked adorably proud of himself and she felt a stab of extreme affection for him. "What do you say we go exploring?" he asked. She nodded, her smile radiant when he placed his arm over her shoulders and began to walk toward the bridge.

They wandered through the city, frequently paying more attention to each other than their surroundings. Though they did notice cat people mixed in among the humans every now and then. They'd been walking for almost half an hour when the Doctor stopped suddenly, crooked his head to one side and frowned.

"Rose?" he asked. "Is something missing?" He waved his hand toward a stretch of beach in the distance.

She studied the spot and its surroundings for a moment before it dawned on her. "The Hospital. Wasn't it there?"

"Yes! That's right!" He placed his hands on either side of her head and kissed her forehead. "Wonder where it is. Maybe it's located in a different spot here?"

"Maybe," Rose agreed. "Let's ask someone."

"Good idea."

After making several inquiries, they discovered that the planet didn't have a hospital because they no longer had a need for one. Diseases didn't exist here anymore; they'd all been cured years earlier. It took several bouts of questioning before the Doctor learned that the Sisters of Plenitude had found a way to cure all diseases and they now ran this seemingly harmonious planet.

The Doctor was suspicious of how they had accomplished this harmony, but Rose had managed to convince him that their honeymoon was not the time to go looking for trouble. She wanted her husband by her side and not in jail somewhere. The Doctor had grudgingly agreed, and they continued their walk through the city.

They began to cross the bridge on their way back to the TARDIS, hands clasped tightly when they nearly bumped into a cat person carrying a bouquet of exotic fragrant flowers. The scent caused Rose's nose to twitch and she sneezed three times in a row.

At that exact moment, a siren went off, loud enough to be heard throughout the whole city. Suddenly, Cat nuns seemed to be emerging from everywhere. "Who sneezed?" one of them shouted.

"Is the decontamination crew ready?" yelled another.

The cat with the flowers pointed to Rose, "She did it."

A dozen pairs of yellow, feline eyes fixed their gaze on Rose, causing the Doctor to shift his feet nervously.

Everything began to happen at once. A battle cry was issued and the Cats charged toward them, their strange, plastic looking guns trained on Rose. A group of people showed up abruptly to protest. The Doctor shouted one of his favourite commands, "Run". Rose squeezed his hand and together they raced across the bridge, laughing as they narrowly escaped the wimpled nuns who chased them. They tore over the applegrass and scrambled into the TARDIS, slamming the door behind them just as a snarling nun got within reach.

The Doctor quickly shifted them into the time vortex. "I think that's enough adventuring for right now."

"I agree" Rose grinned, a glint in her eye.

For some time after that, the Doctor and Rose didn't leave the time vortex. Instead they drifted and enjoyed just being alone with each other in the TARDIS again. In between their lengthy love making sessions, the Doctor read his way through many of the new books in the library and wandered around, desperately searching for something to fix. Unfortunately, this TARDIS was much newer than his old one and there was very little to tinker with, though he still managed to find things to tweak and adjust. When she wasn't sleeping or spending time with the Doctor, Rose explored the many new rooms on the TARDIS, though the nursery remained her favourite. She found herself in there several times a day, trying to imagine what a child created by her and the Doctor would look like, how he or she would act. Her arms ached for the feel of a newborn baby in her arms and as time passed, the phantom child seemed to grow more real in her mind.

She was sitting in the rocking chair moping one afternoon when the Doctor poked his head through the door.

"Oh, there you are," he chirped. "I was thinking it's time for another adventure."

Rose's face lit up. "What did you have in mind?"

"I've been thinking about Women Wept lately. Remember Women Wept? With the frozen oceans? It was one of the planets that Davros and the Daleks stole, when the stars were going out. Reminded me of our trip there. Want to see if it's the same in this universe?"

"Oh, it was beautiful there. Can we go now?" Rose smiled and stood, leaving her haunted thoughts behind in the swaying rocker.

The Doctor beamed, delighted by her eagerness. "That was the plan." He hugged her to his side as they began to walk down to corridor. "Would you like to help fly this time?"

The sparkle in her eyes as she nodded enthusiastically was all the answer he needed.

Moments later, they were positioned at the console and Rose dutifully pressed, pulled and banged as directed. Throughout the process, they kept glancing at each other and grinning. Finally the Doctor threw the last lever and the TARDIS shook wildly as it landed, throwing them both to the ground as they laughed hysterically.

The Doctor helped her to her feet and together they dashed to the door, eager to see what awaited them on the other side.

They rushed out of the TARDIS into a burst of vibrant sunshine. They appeared to be perched on the lamenting woman's nose, and when they noticed this they collapsed into a mutual fit of hysteria that only ended when movement caught the Doctor's eye. He stood, pulling Rose to her feet as he pointed at the sea.

"Look, Rose, it isn't frozen in this universe." His eyes shone with wonder as he gazed out at the expansive ocean before them.

"Oh," Rose gasped, wide-eyed. "It's absolutely breathtaking."

The water swirled and flowed for miles and miles, a spectacular mix of blues, greens, and purples. The sun reflected off of the water, adding flecks of gold and silver to the frenzy of colours.

Wordlessly, Rose and the Doctor made their way down to the beach. They sat, side-by-side, hands clasped as they watched the waves in peaceful silence. Eventually, they made their way back to the TARDIS, still not speaking, as though speech would ruin the amazing sight before them.

When they were back in the TARDIS, the Doctor swiftly spun them into the vortex and gathered Rose into his arms. He found her lips and kissed her tenderly as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom where they remained for a very long time.

*****

It was quite by accident that they ended up on The Library one day. The Doctor had been trying to take them to see the great city of Velinox in the year 3654, but had managed to thoroughly miscalculate the date and location.

Rose laughed at him as his sentence about how she'd love the blue lollup trees died on his lips, only to be replaced with a look of utter confusion.

"What?" He stared at the shelves of books that surrounded them and frowned. "What?"

"Where are we?" Rose interrupted before he could add yet another "what" to his soliloquy.

"We're on the Library. Donna and I came here once, in the other universe. How did with get here?"

"Don't you mean _in_ the Library?"

"No, no, no. I mean on. It's a planet, a whole planet of books..." He trailed off, tugging on his ear. "Odd, it's loud here, almost like..." A librarian pushed passed them, a trolley of books dragging behind her. "There's life here! The Vashta Nerada must not be in the books in this universe. It's the amazing place it was intended to be!" He grew more and more excited with every word he spoke, yanking on Rose's arm as he pulled her further into the beautifully constructed building.

There were people everywhere. Some were lounging on chairs reading paper bound books, while others were perched at computers reading electronic versions of their favourite stories. There were dozens of people, _hundreds_ of people.

The Doctor laughed delightedly. "Oh, Rose, it's perfect. Come, I have so much to show you."

His glee was infectious and Rose found herself giggling as he lugged her through the building exclaiming over his favourite books and becoming positively giddy when he discovered a whole section of books he'd never even heard of.

They were on one of the top floors of the main building when the Doctor suddenly ceased his babbling and became reverently silent. Rose watched curiously as he stood on tiptoe, reaching for a book. He pulled a thick tome off of one of the highest shelves. The hardcover was old and frayed around the edges. The blue cover was adorned with intricate designs that Rose couldn't read, though the language was familiar to her, she'd seen it through the monitor on the TARDIS console enough times to recognize it. "That's Gallifreyan," Rose murmured.

"Yes," the Doctor whispered. "It's a book from Gallifrey. On the old TARDIS I had a copy of this, it was the last piece of Gallifreyan text that remained after... after..." He trailed off miserably, lost in the maze of nightmares from a previous life.

"What's it about?" Rose asked cautiously. The Doctor remained silent for a long moment and Rose began to wonder if he hadn't heard her. He just stood there, staring vacantly at the book in his hand. She leaned closer to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Doctor? What's the story?"

He lifted his eyes, looking at her sadly. "It's a fairy tale. My parents used to read it to me as a child, before they sent me to the Academy. They let me take it with me when they sent me away from home forever. It was my one lasting memory of them. I always kept it, even all of these centuries later. My one treasure from my childhood. Doesn't matter now though. It's gone, back in the other universe on the TARDIS with him. Locked away from me, just like Gallifrey."

Sadly, he returned the book to its place on the shelf, his eyes lingering longingly, and Rose knew he wished he could take the last copy in the universe home with him.

"You know, Doctor, I've just realized something." He remained silent so she continued. "Everywhere we've been in this universe things have been better, fixed even. New Earth is a beautiful planet with no diseases, Women Wept is alive instead of frozen, The Library is actually a proper library."

He was looking at her now. "But on New Earth we were still chased by cats in wimples."

"I'm not saying it's perfect, just better," Rose insisted. "Don't you see, Doctor? It's like this universe is the place where wrong things become right. Look at the two of us, even. This universe is the only place where we've been able to be together and happy."

"Are you saying...?" he pointed to the book.

"It's possible."

He nodded, and considered for a long time. "Okay," he said finally. "Let's go."

Rose took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly as they walked, hand in hand, back to the TARDIS.

As the Doctor calibrated their coordinates, he thought about what Rose had said. She was right, a lot of things _did_ appear to be better in this universe. Perhaps Gallifrey would be one of them. His moment of hope was interrupted by an abrupt lurch as the TARDIS came to an unexpected stop.

Rose flew off the jump seat, where she'd been perched, then she quickly brushed herself off and joined the Doctor at the console monitor. He frowned at it, studying the numbers and characters on the screen that Rose couldn't identify. "It appears we're here," he informed her.

Rose gave him a tight hug of encouragement and a small smile stretched across his face. Taking comfort and courage from the hand she offered, the Doctor pushed open the door and nearly fell out into a dark empty sky. His heart sank. It was gone. Even here, where everything was going right, the Time Lords and Gallifrey were gone. He supposed he'd known all along, really. His head had been empty from the day he arrived on the beach in Norway. But he'd managed to convince himself that the reason he couldn't hear any other Time Lords in his brain was because he was in a different universe, as though they somehow operated on a different frequency.

He stared out into space, to the spot where his planet once stood, but what he saw, was not the dark void of deep space. Instead he was imagining the Gallifrey of his childhood: the rolling hills and peaked mountains, the beautiful orange sky, and the bustle of the academy. He remembered standing before the time vortex for the first time at only eight years old and feeling that first inclination to run, to travel, to dance among the stars. He thought of the time war: the screaming, the fighting, the pain as thousands of Daleks tried to massacre his people. He remembered the moment he'd done something about it, irrevocably destroying his home and all of its inhabitants. He'd killed a part of himself that day, a part that had only begun to come back to life thanks to Rose's presence in his life.

It wasn't until Rose reached over to swipe at a tear on his face that he realized he had been crying. Not a day went by that he didn't miss his people, that he didn't feel guilty about what he had done.

"Doctor?" Rose said softly, her voice trembling. "I'm so sorry. I thought it would be here, I thought..." she trailed off and hugged him. "I'm just so sorry."

He clung to her, burying his face in her hair as he let the silent tears fall. "I wanted to show you," he whispered regretfully. "I wanted to show you the mountains and the trees and oh, Rose, you would have loved it."

She squeezed him more tightly. The last thing she had wanted to do was open an old wound. She should never have suggested coming here. "I'm sorry," she murmured again.

"It's okay Rose, I think I knew. The end of the time war, what I did... it was pretty final. I always suspected it was the same in all universes, but I didn't really want to believe it."

He released Rose, still keeping one arm wrapped around her waist as he turned to look out at the empty space again. "You should have seen her in her glory days, Rose. She was magnificent." He smiled, a sad smile filled with longing and wistfulness.

"I'm sure she was." Rose rubbed his shoulder to comfort him.

"I'm glad we came, Rose. I think I needed to know for sure, and to say goodbye. That's one thing I never got to do after the time war. Say goodbye."

Rose gave him a tight, sideways hug. "I'll leave you alone. Take all the time you need."

He nodded absently, lost in his thoughts again. She gave him one last hug and slipped away leaving him in silence to fight his darkest demons.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: **Forgive me for the angst of the last chapter, this next one will hopefully make up for it ;)

**Just a note of clarification:** Pete's universe did not split with Rose's original universe until AFTER Torchwood was created by Queen Victoria. (Torchwood couldn't exist in Pete's World otherwise.)

As always, thank you to the people who helped me bring this story to life: **cookie2697**, **tardismate**, **gioiamia**, **rumpelsnorcack**,**meremoon** and **earlgreytea68** *massive hugs to you all*

The title of this story comes from a line of a song in Shakespeares "Twelfth Night" commonly called "O Mistress Mine".

Chapter 5

The Doctor was quieter than usual in the days that followed their trip to Gallifrey. After five days of near silence on the TARDIS, Rose decided it was time to cheer him up. She wandered into the library where he was staring at a book, but not reading.

She took the book from his hands, causing him to look up at her in surprise.

"Oh, Rose. Hello," he said, absently.

"Doctor, I think it's time for us to go backwards in time, see some history."

His eyes lit up and he was back to be his usual self for a moment. "Ooooh, I love history. Where should we go?"

"It might be fun to see Queen Victoria again," Rose suggested, a gleam in her eye.

The Doctor threw his head back and howled with laughter. "She was NOT amused by us!"

"No, we weren't prim and proper enough for her," Rose said in a formal, high pitched voice.

"Let's do it!" The Doctor jumped up, knocking the book out of Rose's hand as he went. Rose scooped it up and set it on the couch before following him out of the room.

He was nearly at the console when he spun around. "You should change. The wardrobe room should have something appropriate for you to wear. Don't want to risk angering her with our 'lack of modesty'." They grinned at each other.

Looking down at her faded jeans and yellow t-shirt, Rose shook her head. "Definitely not!" After quickly changing course to walk toward the dressing room, she pushed open the door, smiling at the broad assortment of clothing options that awaited her. She shifted her way through several racks of dresses before settling on a long, emerald green dress with a lace-up bodice and a lovely heart shaped bust line.

Rose changed quickly, but was unable to lace up the back on her own. Leaving her jeans and t-shirt in a heap on the floor, Rose returned to the console room. Her request to have him tie up her dress died on her lips as he stared at her, his eyes wide and filled with love.

"You look beautiful," he whispered. "You should always wear green."

Rose smiled. "So it's all right?" She spun around.

"Weeeeeell, it's a _little_dated for the 1870's but it will do. Better too old than too new." The Doctor chuckled. "Ha! That rhymed. I love rhymes!"

"I know!" Rose beamed, happy to see him back to his old self again. She hoped that his mood from the past few days was gone. "Do you mind?" She turned so he could see the lose laces at her back.

"Not at all." His warm fingers lingered over her skin as he tugged on the laces. Rose shivered, suddenly realizing that it had been days since he'd touched her. He tightened it slowly, taking his time as he threaded the laces through the empty loops in one section of the dress. By the time he was done, Rose was tingling all over and leaving the TARDIS was the farthest thing from her mind.

The Doctor slid his hands to her hips and pulled her back until her head was resting against his torso. "We should go," he whispered regretfully. "Queen Victoria awaits. But when it's time, don't you dare take that dress off without me." His voice was low and gravely and it made Rose's heart rate quicken.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she gasped.

"Good." She could sense, rather than see, him smile.

He pulled away and took her hand. "Ready?"

Rose nodded. "Ready."

They left the TARDIS, expecting to step onto a grassy knoll, but instead they were standing on a marble floor.

"What?" the Doctor scowled looking around. They appeared to be in a great hall. Gorgeous tapestries and paintings hung on the walls. A stage had been set up in the centre of the room with several chairs lined up in front of it. On the stage were several people in costume rehearsing a play.

"_Twelfth Night_?" the Doctor murmured, recognizing it immediately. "Queen Victoria never had _Twelfth Night_performed at the palace."His face was screwed up in concentration as he tried to figure out where exactly they were. Someone on stage caught his attention for a moment and suddenly it clicked into place. "We're not _in_ Queen Victoria's time. We're in Shakespeare's." He pointed to the man on the stage. "Oh, yes! This is Whitehall! Which means, this must be the inaugural performance of _Twelfth Night._It was staged here for Queen Elizabeth I in 1601. Oh, Rose, you are in for a treat!" The Doctor was practically bouncing with giddiness, a stark contrast to the man she'd seen all week.

Rose blinked at him, bewildered. "Shakespeare?"

The smile on the Doctor's face was broad and beaming. "The Bard himself! Come on, I'll introduce you!"

"You've met him?" Rose asked, jogging to keep up with the Doctor as he headed for the stage at a rapid clip.

"With Martha. Would have been a few years back for him." He grinned. "Wonder if he remembers me?"

"Of course I remember you, Doctor. How could I forget?" A man with a jovial smile and a beard walked toward them. "But where is the lovely Miss Jones?"

"Back in Freedonia. She's married now," the Doctor told him proudly.

"Aw, shame. Would love to have seen her again." He turned to Rose.

"Will," the Doctor began, gesturing to Rose, "I don't think I've properly introduced you to my wi--."

Shakespeare cut him off. "Rose!?!?" Then he began to laugh. "You're with the Doctor? I should have known! You weren't wearing the right clothing. And you spoke oddly."

The Doctor gaped at them both, clearly baffled by this new turn of events.

Rose screwed up her face in confusion. What was he talking about? She'd never seen him before in her life.

Shakespeare didn't seem to notice. Instead, he ushered them on to the stage. "You shouldn't be out in the open like this. The Queen will be arriving shortly for the performance."

"What about the TARDIS?" Rose whispered frantically in the Doctor's ear as they ascended the makeshift steps. "You can't leave it in the middle of the room."

"Already taken care of." He pointed to the spot where they'd come in. The TARDIS was gone. "Since she's so new I was able to make a few adjustments. And now she has the ability to cloak herself."

"Oh, you're brilliant! That will come in handy," Rose told him, impressed.

"The old TARDIS could do it too, before she was damaged in the time war." The sorrow returned to his eyes for a second, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had come.

"Hurry up, you two," Shakespeare called, summoning them from the top of the stairs. "She'll be here any minute."

Rose and the Doctor raced onto the stage to where the company was setting up for the play just in time. The next moment, people began to file in, filling the empty seats in the audience. Rose peeked through the curtain as trumpets sounded and Queen Elizabeth I was announced. The Queen was led to a dais in the center of the room where she would have a clear view of the stage.

The first notes of a jovial melody floated through the air as the musicians walked on stage with several of the actors. One of them, a man wearing an elaborate purple costume stepped forward. "If music be the food of love, play on..."

"That's Duke Orsino," the Doctor whispered to Rose. "This first speech of his is my favourite!"

"Shhhh," Rose hushed him, her eyes riveted to the stage. "Let me watch."

The Doctor smiled, pleased that she was so enamoured with the play. _Twelfth Night_ was one of his absolute favourites. He peeked at her face as she watched, fascinated to see her reaction as Viola disguised herself and the complicated and comedic love triangle unfolded before their eyes. She laughed at all of his favourite moments and seemed to be as amused as he was by the interplay between Malvolio, Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew.

When the play was over, Rose clapped loudest of all, tears dotting the corners of her eyes. She hugged the Doctor. "Oh, I do love a happy ending."

"Me too, and this one was magnificent don't you think?" The Doctor pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Which one? The play's or ours?" Rose teased, kissing him lightly.

Laughing, the Doctor said, "Both are, though I _was_referring to the play. Shakespeare's a genius."

"Talking about me again are you?" Shakespeare came over to them, his smile wide. He glanced from one to the other of them, a gleam in his eye as he caught the way they were looking at each other. "Look at you two, so sweet and in love. You are like the star-crossed lovers I write in my plays." He paused, as though hearing his own words for the first time.

Rose thought about it for a moment. "Well, we have had to overcome a lot of obstacles to get to this point." She cast her eyes downward as she thought about everything they had been through.

Shakespeare gently tilted her head upward so he could see her eyes clearly. "Ahh, but I have made the lady sad. My sincerest apologies."

Rose smiled. "It's okay. We were separated. For a long time. I spent three years fighting to get back to him. And sometimes I worry that it'll happen again. I'd do _anything_ to stay with him and keep him safe."

"Yes, but now you are together and happy. Any fool can see that. You lead an adventurous life. It would be perfect for one of my plays. If only I could write of you both, how it would please my fans."

"Best not, Shakespeare," The Doctor interjected. "Don't want to meddle with things more than we already have."

"Is he always this cryptic?" Shakespeare asked Rose.

"He has his moments." Rose glanced at the Doctor.

Shakespeare grinned. "But I suspect you like that about him."

Rose nodded, her eyes shining as a tiny smile pursed her lips. "I love everything about him... all that we've been through? It was worth it."

"It usually is." Shakespeare agreed. He looked thoughtful. "Except in a tragedy of course!"

The Doctor slapped him on the shoulder. "And you, Will, are the master of that art."

Shakespeare smiled. "Ah, you are too kind, sir Doctor. Although, have you had a chance to see _Romeo and Juliet_? If you haven't, you really should catch a performance sometime. It is a personal favourite of mine."

"As _Twelfth Night_ is a favourite of mine." The Doctor deliberately avoided the question, as any answers would likely lead to more awkward questioning.

"Oh, yes! It was a fantastic play, sir," Rose gushed.

"Well, I can't take all the credit. Let's just say I had a stroke of inspiration from a mysterious woman in disguise." He winked at her and kissed her hand, his lips lingering just a little longer than was proper, but not so long as to be impolite.

Rose blushed, confused by his words and their implication.

Oblivious to the exchange, the Doctor continued to babble about the play. "This truly is one of your best comedies," he told him. "I am always awed by how clever and witty it is whenever I read it."

"You, sir, are as mysterious and baffling as ever. My plays are meant to be seen, not read. Why would you waste your time on such an arduous task?" Shakespeare looked at him thoughtfully. "No matter." He threw his arms around their shoulders and walked them down the steps. "Come, the Queen has requested an audience."

As they began to walk, Shakespeare gently held Rose back for a bit, allowing the Doctor to go on ahead. She looked up at him, startled. His eyes bored into her intently as he whispered, "These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die."

Rose shivered, a chill coursing through her body. She wanted to ask him what he meant by the bleak words, but he had already caught up with the Doctor.

They had nearly reached the dais when the Doctor realized that something was terribly wrong. The Queen's face had darkened when they stepped out into the open and she was glaring at the Doctor with unadulterated hatred in her eyes.

"Doctor!" she screeched. "You dare enter my palace uninvited? After what you've done?"

"Whoops," The Doctor said, keeping his voice light. "I forgot that Queen Elizabeth is mad at me. Never did find out why."

"Doctor!" Rose said urgently, tugging his sleeve as she eyed the guards next to the Queen wearily. "I think we've outstayed our welcome."

"I daresay you're right!" the Doctor exclaimed. He patted Shakespeare on the shoulder. "Well, Will, it was nice to see you again, but we've got to dash."

With that, he grabbed Rose's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Run!"

They took off, the Doctor pulling out the sonic screwdriver and aiming it at the area where the TARDIS was while men shouted after them and arrows whizzed by. They scrambled into the TARDIS and slammed the door, panting as they caught their breath.

"What _did_I do to her?" the Doctor wondered aloud as he raced to the console to shift them into the time vortex.


	6. Chapter 6

This story was written prior to EOT and thus there are some blatant canon contradictions in this chapter which I am aware of. I have chosen to go with my own fantasy land.

**Clarification:** Pete's universe did not split with Rose's original universe until AFTER Torchwood was created by Queen Victoria. (Torchwood couldn't exist in Pete's World otherwise.)

As always, thank you to the people who helped me bring this story to life: **cookie2697**, **tardismate**, **gioiamia**, **rumpelsnorcack**, **meremoon** and **earlgreytea68** *massive hugs to you all*

The title of this story comes from a line of a song in Shakespeares "Twelfth Night" commonly called "O Mistress Mine".

Chapter 6

"What _did _I do to Queen Elizabeth?" the Doctor wondered aloud as he raced to the console to shift them into the time vortex.

Rose collapsed by the door, giggling hysterically.

The Doctor scowled at her. "It's not funny," he sulked.

Rose laughed harder, clutching her sides. "Oh, but it is," she managed to gasp out between giggles. "You certainly have a way with Royalty."

The corners of his mouth twitched even as he tried to glare at her. Finally he gave up and allowed his own mirth to bubble to the surface. "I do, don't I?" he chuckled.

Rose snorted, and fell to her knees, her whole body shaking. "Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth..." she started to list, choking on her own words as she continued to laugh.

The Doctor had tears of amusement rolling down his cheeks as he added to the list, "The Dalek Emperor, that Duke on New Earth, Napoleon..."

Rose managed to stop laughing long enough to gape at him. "Napoleon?"

The Doctor shrugged, "We had a tiff once, he was a little upset with me for preventing him from conquering the world. Also, he was jealous."

"Of what?" Rose got to her feet, joining him at the console.

"My height of course." The Doctor grinned.

Rose snorted again, shaking her head at him. "Oh, Doctor. Whatever shall I do with you?"

He reached for her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Love me forever?"

"Oh, that's a given." She smiled and rubbed her nose against his before looking serious. "Do you think Shakespeare had a point about us being 'Star Crossed Lovers'?"

He placed his hands on her cheeks and looked her in the eyes. "I think you were meant to be a part of my life, Rose. I might even go so far as to say we were destined to meet in the shop that day. But ours will not be a tragic ending if that's what you're worried about." He kissed her then, a full and satisfying melding of lips and tongue.

When they were both breathless, Rose confessed, "I admit that the comparison to _Romeo and Juliet_ is a bit concerning. Don't they both die in the end?"

The Doctor's eyes were huge as he gaped at her. "You've _never_ seen _Romeo and Juliet_?"

Rose shook her head. "Was supposed to read it for school once, but never did make it through."

The Doctor pulled away from her and began to fiddle with the TARDIS console. "Oh, we must remedy this right now." He punched a serious of keys, calibrating a new destination.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked curiously.

"Not far. 1592-ish." The Doctor reached forward to tug on a lever.

"Ish?"

"Weeellll, somewhere around there. It's not an exact science."

Rose eyed him nervously. "If we wind up surrounded by dinosaurs, you are in so much trouble."

The Doctor gasped. "Rose, have you no faith in my driving abilities?"

She shook her head. "Not even when you don't add the 'ish'."

He pretended to pout even as he fiddled with buttons on the console. "Ahhh, we're here!"

The TARDIS landed with a gentle thud and for once Rose was still on her feet. The Doctor noticed her stunned expression.

"See? I _CAN_ drive." He twined his fingers in hers and they walked to the door.

Rose deliberately bumped his shoulder. "Landing is not driving!"

The Doctor pushed the door open to reveal a cobbled street. "Oh, ye of little faith."

Rose pretended to look around. "Okay, no Dinosaurs. You're off the hook. So why are we here?"

"To see _Romeo and Juliet_ of course!" He guided her out of the alleyway to the main street. It was midday and people were bustling from shop to shop gathering their goods for the day. The Doctor pointed to a tall, polygonally shaped building in the distance. "That's the Theatre. In a few years the Cambridge Players will disassemble it in the night and take it across the river to build the Globe."

Rose looked around as they walked through the crowded streets. She was fascinated by the attire of the people they passed, and the manner in which they spoke. They came to a crossroad where thousands of people were gathered and the Doctor stood on his tip-toes, craning his neck to see over the heads of the people in front of them. He grabbed Rose's arm and pulled her through the throng until they were standing at the very front. A parade of soldiers was marching past, followed by an official looking carriage. Queen Elizabeth I was seated primly in the coach, waving her gloved hand demurely, her lips pursed tightly, as she passed the gawking onlookers.

It was a warm day and the Queen broke her routine to cool herself off with several waves of an ornate fan made of grey, yellow, brown, and orange feathers. At the base of the fan was an ornate jewel cast in a polished silver setting and surrounded by eight smaller gems.

The Doctor frowned as the large stone cast an unearthly glow. He tugged at his left ear as he searched his brain for the memory of where he had seen such a thing before. "That's it!" he exclaimed, punching the air as it came to him. There was a pause and then, "Oh, no."

"What?" Rose narrowed her eyes in concern.

"The jewel on her fan. It's a Sontaran homing signal; a beacon of sorts. Lets them know when war is looming so they can join the battle. They're often placed on Sontaran weapons." The Doctor crinkled his nose. "How did this one end up here?"

Rose stared at the stone, mesmerized by the mixture of silver and gold reflecting in it. It suddenly glowed brighter and her eyes widened. "Uh, Doctor?" She tugged his arm. "Is it supposed to be glowing like that?"

"What?" he followed the direction she was pointing in. "Nononononono!" The Doctor tugged at his hair. "The crystal has already been activated!"

"Does that mean...?" Rose pointed to the sky.

The Doctor took her hand. "Not if I can help it." He lunged forward, yanking Rose behind him as he ran after the carriage at full-tilt. Rose had to concentrate so that she wouldn't trip over her own feet as she struggled to keep up. Chaos erupted around them as several guards attempted to prevent them from getting any closer to the carriage. Dodging them easily, the Doctor reached the back of the coach, swung himself up so he was perched on the edge, and pulled Rose up to join him.

There was a small metal bar on one side that Rose was able to cling to, and she held on for dear life as the carriage sped up, trying to shake them.

"Stay here," the Doctor requested, climbing a ladder that lead to the roof. Rose watched as he disappeared from sight, yelping when an arrow flew past and landed in the wood right next to her face.

Atop the carriage, the Doctor carefully crawled to the area where he knew Queen Elizabeth I would be seated. Slipping onto his stomach, he slid to the edge until his torso was dangling over the window. "Hello!" he said cheerfully, ignoring the Queen's cries of discontent.

"Who are you and what are you doing on my coach?"

"I'm the Doctor." He grinned. "Pleased to meet you, your Majesty. I'd shake your hand but that could have rather dire consequences at the moment."

The Queen pursed her lips and glared at him. "Doctor, kindly tell me what you are doing on my coach. This is highly improper."

"Weeeeelllll, it's a long story, but basically, I need to borrow your fan."

The Queen clutched it more tightly. "My _fan_? I think not, this fan was a gift from an important ambassador. It is priceless. I am not giving it to a common criminal."

"Criminal?" the Doctor cried, insulted. "I'm trying to help you."

"Guards!" she shrieked.

The Doctor sighed. "I should have known you wouldn't let me do this the easy way." Before she could respond, he grabbed the fan and hoisted himself back to the roof even as the Queen began to rage at him. Within seconds he was beside Rose again. "Jump!" he told her as he grabbed her hand. They dove off the moving vehicle, tumbling to the ground, and quickly scrambling to their feet. At least a dozen soldiers were closing in on them and they didn't even have a second to breathe before they were running again, darting down dark, narrow alleys until they seemed to have lost their pursuers.

Panting, Rose pointed to the fan. "What are you going to do with that?"

"We have to destroy the stone before the Sontarans can follow its signal."

"How long do we have?"

"About ten, maybe twenty minutes."

"Guess we better hurry."

The Doctor nodded and pulled out the Sonic, fiddling with the frequency. Rose had to jump out of the way to avoid being cut as he aimed it at the stone, which shattered into millions of tiny shards.

"Done! Now we can return the fan."

Rose gaped at him. "You want to go back? Are you crazy?"

"Probably. But I should return what is rightfully hers."

"She'll kill you."

"Nah, I wouldn't let that happen. You don't have to come. In fact, you probably shouldn't. Bad enough she hates me. Go back to the TARDIS and I'll meet you there."

"But Doctor--"

He hushed her with a chaste kiss, and then ran out of the alley shouting, "TARDIS!"

Rose sighed and watched him go, her stomach sinking with dread as she contemplated the many things that could go wrong with this plan.

After several minutes, she crept to the edge of the street to check if the coast was clear. There were no soldiers so she emerged from her cover and strolled casually down the cobbled street until she found the alley where the TARDIS was hidden. She let herself in and the TARDIS pulsed in greeting. She smiled, looking around at the empty control room. It was eerily quiet without the Doctor there bustling around and babbling a mile a minute. Again her stomach fluttered with worry. She wished he'd hurry up and come back so they could make their getaway.

'So much for _Romeo and Juliet_,' she thought regretfully as she twitched uncomfortably and scratched at her mid back. As much as she loved it, the dress was extremely itchy, and constraining. Resigned, she wandered to the wardrobe room, quickly changing back into her jeans and t-shirt.

When she returned to the control room a few minutes later, she could hear voices and scuffling outside the door. Her heart felt suddenly lighter as she raced to the door, fully expecting to see the Doctor fleeing from the Queen's army. Instead, as she ran out into the alley looking for the Doctor, she bumped into the back of a tall man dressed in a red tunic.

"Watch it!" he cried.

"Oh," she said, her mouth forming an 'o' of surprise as the man turned around and she realized it was Shakespeare.

His expression quickly changed from one of annoyance to one of amusement as he took her in. "Well, what have we got here? A lady in trousers? A mistress of disguise?"

Rose stared at him. 'So _this_ was why he recognized me,' she thought, a smile tugging at her lips. She cleared her throat. "I'm Rose, Rose Tyler."

Shakespeare's eyes lit up. "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And you are sweet indeed." He grinned at her suggestively and dropped a kiss on her hand.

Rose blushed. "And you, sir, are a poet."

He laughed; a joyous ringing sound that bounced off the walls of the alley. "Yes, I suppose I am." He held out his hand. "I'm William Shakespeare, but you can call me Will."

"I know who you are. It's nice to meet you, sir." Rose shook his hand.

If Will was surprised that she knew him, he didn't show it. "So, what is a lady, such as yourself, doing alone in a dark alley with nothing but a -" he peered behind her. "-blue box for company?"

"Oh, you know... I'm more than what I seem. Like one of those girls you write about, dressed as men, shipwrecked in a strange world..."

"Oh, that's not a bad idea! Though you must have me confused with someone else."

Rose realized her mistake. It was 1592 and the Doctor had taken her to the first showing of _Twelfth Night _in 1601. Shakespeare hadn't written it yet. Quickly, she tried to backtrack. "Must be another playwright that I'm thinking of. Charles Dickens maybe, or Emily Bronte. No, no, no, that's not right." Rose crinkled her eyes in concentration as she tried desperately to think of someone more appropriate to the time period, but nothing was coming to her. Oh, where was the Doctor when she needed him?

Shakespeare, luckily, seemed unperturbed. "You are a most peculiar and fascinating woman, Rose." He eyed her carefully, as though trying to figure her out. "I would love to stay and chat with you some more, however, I have a play to deliver." He walked away from her and held up some papers that he had been holding to his side. "I'm calling it _Romeo and Juliet._" With a final smile, Shakespeare departed the alley, leaving Rose alone once more.

She was about to enter the TARDIS again when the Doctor came tearing around the corner, guards hot on his heels.

"Go, go, go, go, go." He yelped, diving toward the door. Rose pushed it open and the Doctor wasted no time and barrelling inside and slamming the door shut. Then he grinned at her. "That went well!"

She laughed. "You've missed this, haven't you?"

"Oh, yes." He went straight to the console, reprogramming it as he beamed at her. "It's rather fun being hated by royalty."

Amused, Rose shook her head at him. "You're crazy." He grinned in response and turned back to the monitor. "Oh, I met Shakespeare!"

He looked up at her. "Really? I missed him?" He looked crestfallen. "Mind you, it's probably for the best. He's not supposed to meet me, or rather the other me, until a few years from now when I, I mean he, I mean, I come for the opening of _Love's Labors Won_ with Martha."

Rose frowned. "But, that was in the other universe."

"Yes, but we don't know when the universes split in two. All we know is it was sometime after we met Queen Victoria. Which is still 287 years in the future from right here, right now."

Rose's eyes widened in understanding. "So _you're_the reason Queen Elizabeth hates the earlier version of you in the future?" She rubbed her forehead as though it hurt to think about it.

"Precisely. Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey and all that." The TARDIS landed with a small jerk and Rose nearly lost her footing. "Ah, we're here."

"Where are we now?" Rose asked as he put on his jacket.

"Same day, just behind the Theatre. I promised you we'd see _Romeo and Juliet._" He offered her his arm.

Her face lit up and she linked her arm through his. "So, you did."

He grinned. "And so we shall!"

_To Be Continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning:** After a few chapters of fluff, the angst is back...  
**Authors Note:** FYI: If you're curious about how this, or any other chapter or story I've written came to be, comment on this post (http: // lorelaisquared. livejournal. com / 57170. html) (without the spaces) and I will write a DVD style commentary for the story or chapter you've chosen.

As always, thank you to the people who helped me bring this story to life: **cookie2697**, **tardismate**, **gioiamia**, **rumpelsnorcack**, **meremoon** and **earlgreytea68** *massive hugs to you all*

The title of this story comes from a line of a song in Shakespeares "Twelfth Night" commonly called "O Mistress Mine".

Chapter 7

After their viewing of _Romeo and Juliet_, the Doctor noticed a shift in Rose. She seemed more serious and somehow sadder. He tried to cheer her up by taking her to Vartiter to show her the fields of butterfly people, but when that didn't work; he realized it was time to take Rose home for a visit. He knew Rose missed her family and he hoped that perhaps Jackie would be able to cheer her up.

Rose brightened considerably when he told her where they were and he knew he'd made the right choice.

"Mum?" Rose shouted, "We're back!"

The pounding of little feet filled the air, and Tony tore around the corner, a huge grin on his face.

"Rose! Rose!" he shouted, lunging himself in her arms with that complete trust children have that the people they love will always catch them.

Rose hugged him, cradling the little boy to her chest. "Oh, Tony, I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Rose." He planted a wet, sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Guess what! Guess what?" he told her as she set him back on the floor. "We went to Aruba and I saw a dolphin. It jumped thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis high." He stood on his tiptoes with his hand high above his head to demonstrate.

"Wow!" Rose exclaimed, taking his hand as they began to walk down the hall. Tony reached up and grabbed the Doctor's hand too. While they walked, he used their arms to help him swing back and forth. The Doctor smiled down at Tony, lifting his arm slightly to allow Tony to swing faster, higher. The sight made Rose's heart tighten in her chest. He was going to be such a good father one day.

The trio entered the living room, and Jackie screeched, streaking toward them with a joyful cry of, "You're back!"

Rose laughed and squeezed her mother back. "We are!"

"I missed you, both." At the Doctor's shocked expression, Jackie laughed and moved to the Doctor, hugging him too, the mortified expression on his face causing Rose to giggle. "Yes, I missed you too, you goof."

The Doctor patted Jackie on the shoulder awkwardly, until she finally released him and turned back to Rose. "Let's go put the kettle on and have a cuppa while I tell you all about the month we've had. You wouldn't believe everything that's happened."

The Doctor shook his head, bemused as he watched the two women wander into the kitchen, chattering excitedly. He looked down at Tony who was now tugging on his hand to get his attention.

"Have you ever seen a dolphin?" he asked the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded solemnly. "I have. Not quite the same though, they were flying dolphins."

Tony's eyes went wide. "I didn't know dolphins could fly," he said in an awed voice.

The Doctor laughed. "Well, they can't, not on this planet. Come on, let's sit on the couch and I'll tell you all about Nipod, the planet of the dolphins."

******

Rose sat at the small table in the kitchen watching carefully as Jackie bustled about fixing the tea and babbling a mile a minute about Aruba. By the time she finally set out the tea, Jackie had revealed more details than Rose ever need to know about sand, sun burns, and Pete.

"So how was your honeymoon, sweetheart?" she asked Rose when she finally sat down, all Aruba conversation exhausted.

Rose took a sip of tea. "It was good. We visited some places we've been before, had a few adventures, met Shakespeare, got chased by Queen Elizabeth the First..." Rose filled her in on the details, Jackie's eyes widening in wonder as she described Woman Wept and The Library. She deliberately left Gallifrey out of the tale, sensing that it was something the Doctor wouldn't really want shared with his mother-in-law.

"All of that in a month?" Jackie raised her eyebrow in surprise when Rose finished.

"Oh, we've been gone longer than that I think," Rose frowned. "Time is kind of funny when you're in the TARDIS. I feel like we've been gone _years._.."

Rose could feel her mother's watchful eyes boring into her. "You look older," Jackie observed, tracing her fingers over the new lines on her face and the streaks of grey in her hair that Rose had noticed just that morning.

"Seems like just yesterday you were a little girl, eager to cuddle on my lap," Jackie continued, nostalgically. She dropped her hand and met her daughter's eyes shrewdly. "Rose," she said softly, "Is everything all right? You seem sad."

Rose forced a smile. "I'm fine." Her voice shook, betraying the lie.

"Rose, talk to me. Maybe I can help."

Silent tears began to slide down Rose's cheeks. Looking alarmed, Jackie came around the table to envelop her daughter in a supportive hug. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"I... it's... I... I'm being silly." Rose sniffed, burying her face in her mother's comforting shoulder. To her relief, it was as soothing as it had been when she was a small child.

"Awww, sweetheart, if it's bothering you it's not silly." Jackie rubbed her back.

"It's just that, the Doctor and I, we've been trying to have a baby for months. The TARDIS even made us a nursery, but it's just not happening. I keep hoping and then my monthlies come again and I'm disappointed. It happened again a few days ago and I just can't seem to stop thinking about it." Rose sniffled loudly. "Oh, Mum, I love him so much and I want to have his baby so badly. He will be such a great father. It breaks my heart every time I get proof that I'm not pregnant. What if- what if I can't give him a baby? What if something is wrong with me?"

Jackie squeezed her daughter more tightly. "Oh, Rose. Darling. It's only been a few months. These things can take time. You just need to be patient and let it happen naturally."

Rose raised her tear-stained face. "But what if it _never_ happens?"

"Then you and the Doctor will deal with it together. Look at everything you've been through already. You were even ripped into a different universe and you managed to find your way back to each other. If you can overcome that, you can overcome anything."

"You're right," Rose sniffled. "I told you I was being silly."

Jackie wiped the tears from her daughter's cheeks. "Not silly at all. Just human."

Rose offered her mother a shaky smile. "Thanks, Mum, I feel better."

Jackie nodded to the tea on the table that was getting cold. "Have some more tea. It will help, I promise."

Laughing, Rose sank back into her seat and complied. "Tea is still your solution to everything, is it?" Rose took a sip, and felt a little better. "Glad some things never change."

*******

After nearly a week on earth the Doctor was getting antsy. Now that he had the TARDIS he was no longer content being grounded. In truth, he had never been truly happy in those first five years on earth, but he'd pretended because a) he had no choice, and b) he didn't want to upset Rose. But his heart was with the stars and he knew that it was the same for Rose.

He woke one morning, with Rose curled in his arms. He studied her face as she slept, noting the contentment and the relaxed muscles on her face. She looked happier than she had been when they'd first arrived, freer, more herself.

He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled, savouring the familiar honey scent as he kissed her temple gently.

Rose stirred beside him, stretching and wiggling as she came back to consciousness.

"Doctor?" she said sleepily.

He smiled into her hair. "Yes?"

"Thank you for bringing me home."

"Are you ready to get back out there? I was thinking that maybe we should check on some of the planets that were stolen when Davros tried to destroy all of existence with the reality bomb. See if there was any effect in this universe from all of that. What do you think?"

Rose turned in his arms, her face alight with a vibrant smile. "Oh, definitely." She kissed him briefly. "Do I have time for a shower first?"

The Doctor nodded, his eyes suddenly ablaze. "Yes, _we_ have time." With that, he kissed her thoroughly and pulled her out of bed, still holding her hand firmly as they walked to the bathroom together.

*****

After a lengthy good bye in the Tyler living room, in which the Doctor received multiple hugs from both Jackie and Tony, Rose and the Doctor waved goodbye and returned to the TARDIS. Before long, they were in flight again, drifting through the time vortex as the Doctor calibrated their next trip.

"Where are we going first?" Rose asked curiously, stretching her legs out on the long jump seat.

"Adipose Three, I think."

"Adiwhat?"

"Adipose," he said turning to grin at her. "They're tiny white creatures made of fat. Look a bit like marshmallows." He laughed. "They're adorable."

"Made of fat?" Rose stared at him incredulously.

The Doctor nodded and continued to fiddle with the TARDIS controls. "Yes. Donna and I ran into them back in the other universe. Adipose Three, their breeding planet was missing so they came to earth to use humans as fat converters. Rather ingenious really, except for the part where it was illegal."

"But they got their planet back?"

"That's what I want to check. Ah, we're here." They landed with a light thump. Rose was still getting used to how smooth the landings seemed to be with this TARDIS.

They were in the middle of field. A tall building stood to one side and all around it were fenced areas of grass filled with several small white creatures that looked to Rose like pillows.

"Ooooooh," she squealed when she saw them. "They're gorgeous." She bent down to the nearest pen and scooped one of the smaller Adipose into her arms.

It squawked at her happily, flapping its arms as she cradled the light babe to her chest. The Doctor pointed to a much larger Adipose that was glowering at Rose. "Oh, sorry," she said shakily, kissing the baby Adipose on the head and setting him back in his pen.

"This is like a nursery school," the Doctor explained. "They're supposed to be socializing."

They continued to walk past pen after pen of little Adipose, and each time, Rose felt compelled to reach down and pick one up but she managed to resist.

They entered the building, which the Doctor explained was the Adiposean First Family's home. The Doctor met with the family briefly while Rose waited in the foyer of the grand building. A line of excited Adipose babies were led past her and they hopped a little, squeaking as they all tried to speak at once. Rose couldn't help but laugh at the adorable scene. The Doctor emerged at her side as she was waving at them while they bounced from the building.

"Everything is back to normal here. We can go."

"Are you sure we can't keep one?" Rose whispered, clinging to his arm and gesturing to another group of little Adipose who were being led down the hallways

They began to walk back to the TARDIS. "That would be a rather swift way to start a war. No, the Adipose are very cautious with their young. I wouldn't advise it."

Rose eyed the Adipose wistfully as they walked, her arms aching for the feel of the tiny baby body as she held it. She realized then that her attraction to the Adipose babies had more to do with her desire to have a child of her own than with the Adipose themselves.

As soon as they were drifting in space again, Rose leaned back on the over-sized jump seat and motioned for the Doctor to sit beside her.

"Doctor, I think maybe there's something wrong with me," she said quietly, looking down at her feet.

The Doctor gaped at her, clearly flummoxed by her words. "What do you mean something's wrong with you?"

"I wonder… I wonder if maybe I can't have children."

He stared at her. "Rose --" he began, but she held up her hand, cutting him off.

She finally looked at him and the deep sorrow in her eyes tore at his heart. "We've been trying for months, and months to have a baby and nothing has happened. What if..." she choked, swallowed, and tried again. "What if the reason I haven't been able to get pregnant is that I can't? Ever?" Tears welled in her eyes and the Doctor promptly enveloped her in his arms.

"I don't think that's the case, but I could run some tests if you like."

Rose wiped her cheek. "Please? I'd like to know for sure."

"Of course." The Doctor pulled her to her feet. "We can go to the infirmary; everything I'll need is there."

Rose nodded, her eyes distant and vacant. She was suddenly very cold. As much as she wanted to know for sure, she was also afraid of what the results may be.

The Doctor ran a series of tests, both human and Time Lord on himself and Rose. Several hours later, they sat in the library together, while the Doctor carefully explained the results to Rose.

"This test here," he pointed to something on one of his readouts, "says that your reproductive system is functioning normally. From a medical standpoint, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to conceive."

Rose sighed in relief and gave him a sideways hug. "So there's nothing wrong with me?"

"Nothing at all, love." He kissed the top of her head, before motioning to another page of data. "These are my test results." He pointed to a series of charts and numbers that made very little sense to Rose.

She looked up at him, her expression hopeful. "And?"

"Normal from both a human and a Time Lord standpoint." He indicated one of the graphs. "I am the picture of reproductive health."

Moisture dotted her eyes as she beamed at him. "So that means we can have a baby?" Rose wound herself around him, feeling calmer than she had in weeks. "Mum was right, I was worrying for nothing."

The Doctor watched her carefully, his eyes guarded. When he didn't return her hug, Rose stilled, slowly pulling away to look at him, icy cold fear instantly replacing the elation she'd felt a moment before.

"What is it?" she asked, trying but failing to keep the trepidation from her voice. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

He met her gaze and the sadness she saw there caused her chest to hurt. "There was another test," the Doctor whispered.

Shaking, Rose settled back beside him and waited for him to explain. It took every ounce of her control not to fall apart. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like whatever he was about to tell her, and her first instinct was to run away, to hide from it, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything so she stayed where she was, frozen, afraid, waiting.

Finally, after what seemed to Rose like hours, the Doctor spoke, his voice steady and devoid of emotion. "There's a reason you haven't conceived yet." He held up a diagram. "This tells me that even though our bodies are both reproductively sound, they're not compatible."

Rose emitted a strangled cry, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. "But why? You're _human _now. How can we not be compatible?" Her chin wobbled and the Doctor sensed that she was very close to losing control. He let down the shields he'd built up to protect her from his own tumultuous emotions and allowed himself to gather her into his arms.

"I'm only _half _human, remember?" He kissed her forehead briefly before continuing to explain. He managed to keep his voice calm, though he was feeling anything but. "The metacrisis changed my DNA just enough so that I'm neither fully Time Lord, nor fully human. So, even though, medically, everything works just fine, I'm just different enough that our cells can't mingle together to create a life."

"You mean, if you were fully Time Lord, it would work?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's the metacrisis that created this anomaly, so I believe that if I were fully one or the other this would not be an issue."

"You can't... you can't do anything to fix this?" She was sobbing now, huge, gasping sobs that caused her entire body to shake.

Tears sprang to his own eyes and he watched her helplessly. He hugged her more firmly to his chest, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry, Rose. I want nothing more than to make a child with you. Oh, Rose, you have no idea how much I want that."

He sank his face into her hair and dropped the last of his emotional barriers, allowing his own anguish and grief to flood from within him. Rose clung to him tightly as his body began to shudder. They stayed there for a long time, entwined together, as they sobbed and mourned the child that they would never have.

_To Be Continued_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rose woke up in the middle of the night, her throat dry, her face tight, and her head pounding. She recalled crying herself to sleep, her heart clenching as she also remembered why. Knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, she slid from the safe cocoon of the Doctor's arms and put on her robe, pulling the covers up over his shoulders, before planting a delicate kiss on the side of his head. She smiled at him fondly for a moment before padding out of the room in her slippered feet.

She had intended to go to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, but as she walked past the nursery door she froze, a waterfall of new emotions cascading over her. With a trembling hand, she opened the door and stepped into the room. The ceiling still swirled with constellations, and Rose stared at them for a moment, marvelling at how breathtaking they were. The TARDIS had created the world's greatest baby mobile. Rose choked back a sob at her next thought, _And now it will never be seen_. She looked around the rest of the room that she had come to love so much: the wooden bassinet, the rocking chair, the soft colours of the walls. Fresh hot tears tumbled from her eyes as she picked up a small teddy bear from one of the shelves. She hugged it to herself and collapsed on the floor near the bassinet, sobbing uncontrollably.

Eventually her cries ebbed and she looked up from the teddy bear, which had become drenched by her tears.

"Why?" she whispered sadly to the TARDIS, fingering the delicate blanket that draped from the cradle. "Why would you give us this beautiful nursery when it can never be used?"

She felt a pulse of energy drift through the room, enveloping her in an invisible, comforting hug. Instantly she felt calmer, less anguished. It was almost as if she could hear a whisper reassuring her that it would be all right. Rose smiled, trusting the message the TARDIS was trying to give her. "Thank you," she said softly, placing her hand on the TARDIS wall as she exited the room. "Thank you."

Rose returned to the bedroom with two warm cups of tea. The Doctor was still asleep, a rarity for him, so she quietly slipped into the bed, curving her body around his. She didn't want to wake him, but she needed the comfort of his touch.

"Feeling better?" His unexpected question startled Rose a little.

"Oh, you're awake."

He twisted so he could see her. "I've been awake since you left before. I heard you crying earlier, are you okay?" He brushed his hand soothingly along her jaw line. "I wanted to come to you, but I thought maybe you needed some time alone."

Rose nodded. "Thank you, I think I just needed to get it out, you know?"

He threaded his fingers idly through her hair. "I'm so sorry I can't give you what you want."

"Doctor, it's not your fault. We'll get through this." She hugged him then added, "Together."

He kissed her. It was comforting, filled with love and warmth. Then he pulled her more tightly into his arms and fell silent, deep in thought.

"I had a daughter once," he said suddenly.

"I know, you told me before." Rose reminded him, thinking back to that conversation. She'd been shocked at first, but when she'd really thought about it, it made sense. He was over 900 years old, after all. It's not like he didn't have a history before her.

"No, I mean...while we were separated..." The Doctor trailed off, his eyes sad.

Rose blinked at him, baffled by this unexpected news. "What? But how?"

The Doctor sighed. "Her name was Jenny. She was created from my DNA on a planet called Messaline. She came out of a machine a fully formed adult. She looked like you, actually." The Doctor looked wistful. "I always thought that maybe, somehow, they knew how much I wanted you, so they gave me a daughter that was so much like you."

"Where is she now?" Rose asked softly.

He met her gaze, his eyes pools of sorrow. "She died, Rose. Just when I was starting to love her, to hope that maybe she could come with me, that I could show her the stars, teach her about her heritage -- someone shot her. She died in my arms. I'll never forget that moment."

Rose hugged him again. "Oh, Doctor, I'm so sorry."

"So am I." He smiled wanly. "You would have loved her, Rose. She was so full of curiosity, wonder, life."

"I'm sure I would have." Rose looked at him sadly for a moment. "Doctor, why are you telling me this?"

"Well, I was thinking that we should go there... to Messaline. Maybe we can use their technology to somehow gain a child. I mean, if we can't have a child by natural means, maybe we should try by technological means."

Rose stared at him. "Do you think it will work?" she asked cautiously, afraid to hope.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "But it's worth a try, don't you think?"

Rose was quite for several minutes. "Okay, let's check it out."

*****

Messaline was deserted when they arrived, the remnants of civilization remained but nothing that looked remotely recent. It had been abandoned for years. The tunnel looked the same as it had in the other universe so the Doctor was easily able to navigate to the main meeting area where one of the DNA processors had been. He half worried they wouldn't exist in this universe, but to his relief, it was exactly where it should have been.

While Rose watched, he rolled up his sleeve and carefully placed his arm in the machine that would take his tissue sample. He braced himself for the pain he remembered, but nothing happened. Frowning, he pulled his arm out and tapped the device, examining it more closely. He took out the sonic screwdriver, sticking his tongue between his teeth in concentration while he scanned the machine.

After fiddling with the settings for several moments, the Doctor slipped his arm in the machine to try again, but still there was nothing.

"Huh," he said, glaring at the machine. "There seems to be a glitch."

Rose tried to mask her disappointment. "Maybe it's because there's no power?" she suggested hopefully.

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "There's power. Something must be broken within the machine."

"Didn't you say there were more? Maybe one of them works."

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, Rose you're brilliant." He raced down the corridor to the area where the machine Jenny came from had been. He tried it, but again there was no response.

Over the next hour, the Doctor and Rose tried every processor they could find, even the ones in the Hath areas, but none of them worked. Defeated, they returned to the main room to regroup.

Rose was about to give up and suggest they return to the TARDIS, when the Doctor suddenly got up and began to disassemble the nearest machine.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to bring it with us. If I can examine it more carefully, and figure out how it's supposed to work, I might be able to duplicate the progenation process in another way." He quirked his head to one side. "I might even be able to adjust the growth rate so that the offspring is 'born' at a younger age." He removed several components from the machine and cradled them in his arms.

He turned back to Rose who was staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "Thank you," she said simply. She took some of the items from his overflowing arms and together they returned to the TARDIS, both feeling a little bit more light hearted than when they'd arrived.

*****

By the time they'd been on a few more adventures, Rose was almost back to her usual cheerful self. They had settled into a routine on the TARDIS, spending many of their evenings on board luxuriating over elongated tea times and reading while cuddling in the library. The door to the nursery stayed firmly closed, and neither of them had been near it since the day they'd visited Messaline. The Doctor continued to tinker with the progenation machine in his spare time, though so far, he hadn't discovered anything promising. Neither of them mentioned children anymore since the topic made them both rather sad.

For several months they traveled around the galaxies of Pete's Universe, revisiting places and times the Doctor had been before, and discovering new places that were completely unique to this universe. They landed on what they thought was such a planet one day in early spring.

Rose shivered, pulling on a warm jacket as she joined the Doctor just outside the TARDIS. The planet was beautiful, covered with glistening snow that began beneath their feet and stretched on to the farthest reaches of the tallest peaked mountains.

The Doctor tugged on his ear, his brow furrowed as he looked at the mountains. "What? It can't be?" He squinted his eyes, as though it would change the outcome of what he was seeing.

"Have you been here before?" Rose asked.

"Huh. If I'm not mistaken, and I'm usually not, we're on the planet of the Ood. But it's in a completely different location here. In the other universe it was not located in the Mestra galaxy."

"This is the planet where the Ood were born, you said?" Rose asked as they descended from the mountain they were on.

"Yes. When Donna and I first visited this place the Ood had been enslaved. One of their brains had been removed. Do you remember the orbs that they spoke through? Originally that was a brain."

Gasping in shock, Rose's eyes widened. "That's horrific."

"I know. They were so sad. I could hear their song in my head. It still haunts me." They were approaching a small village, deciding quickly, the Doctor veered toward the largest of the primitive buildings.

"Do you hear anything now?" Rose wanted to know.

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. "It's beautiful Rose, joyous, natural, free. I don't think they're enslaved in this universe." He grinned, that elated smile he always got when he discovered that things were going right instead of wrong.

Rose frowned. "Then how did one end up on the docks with the dimension cannon?"

Waggling his eyebrows at her, the Doctor said, "A very good question. One I'd _really_ like to know the answer to. Let's see if we can find out, shall we?"

They had reached their destination and at the Doctor's gesture, Rose knocked lightly on the door.

An Ood dressed in fancy clothing emerged from the hut, bowing at them, a small brain held in one hand.

The Doctor spoke in quick hushed tones, explaining about the Ood they had found on earth.

"He must be one of the Missing Ones," the Ood, who'd introduced himself as Ood Rho, said solemnly.

"Missing Ones?" Rose asked.

Ood Rho nodded, before beginning to speak rapidly. "Several Ood have mysteriously disappeared from this village over the last ten years."

The Doctor frowned. "Disappeared? How does an Ood just disappear?"

Ood Rho sighed. "We don't know. The Missing Ones simply vanished, right before our eyes from wherever they had been standing."

"Have you tried to find out where they went? Or how?" Rose inquired.

"We have had some of our top minds investigating, but we have not been able to find any answers. All we know is that the disappearances seem to happen approximately every six months. It is a growing concern for our community."

"As it should be." The Doctor furrowed his brow. "When was the last one?"

"My son was taken five months and twenty nine days ago," Ood Rho said sadly.

Rose gasped and stared at Ood Rho with compassionate tears in her eyes while the Doctor spoke.

"I'm so sorry. We will do what we can to help."

Ood Rho smiled slightly. "I appreciate it."

The Doctor thanked Ood Rho for the information and bowed to him before he and Rose began to weave their way throughout the village to explore. The Doctor was deep in thought, trying to connect the Ood disappearances with the dimension cannon and the Ood they'd found on the docks.

"This proves that the Ood we found with the dimension cannon wasn't working alone, I'm positive someone, or something is controlling them. But who?" he muttered. "It doesn't make sense. Why take an Ood every six months? Why not take them more often? And why do they want them in the first place? Unless…" His eyes widened. "Yes, That's got to be it. Someone is stealing the Ood to do their bidding. But how are they getting them off the planet?"

He nodded to a group of passing Ood as he continued to reason it out. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and turned back to the four Ood they had passed. Rose followed suit and at the exact moment that the Doctor and Rose turned to look, one of the Ood vanished, disappearing before their very eyes.

The Doctor pulled something out of his pocket and raced forward, waving it around the space where the Ood had been standing a moment before. The other three Ood looked at the empty spot mournfully for a moment before walking away without a word, as though this was perfectly normal, which, Rose supposed, it was for them.

Continuing to wave his device around, the Doctor studied it carefully, reading something that was displaying on the strange instrument. "Heh," he intoned, raising his eyebrows. "I'm detecting some kind of teleport."

"A teleport? I don't see anything that looks like it could be a teleport."

"Exactly right. Which begs the question: how was he teleported? And by whom?"

"Do you think that Ood was sent to earth?"

"Judging from the data coming from the cryptometer, yes, it appears so." He began to walk back toward the mountain, still staring at the silver device in his hand. "I think, if we hurry, I might be able to trace it."

Rose raced after him. His excitement over almost solving this mystery was contagious. Seconds later they were hurdling back toward Earth, the Doctor practically vibrating from his eagerness to solve the impossible.

When they landed at the mansion, there was a bustle of activity as Pete, Jackie and Tony descended upon them. After a quick round of hugs, they quickly explained what was going on and started to run out the door, hand in hand.

"Stop!" Jackie yelped, causing them both to halt in their tracks and turn toward her, alarmed.

"What?" the Doctor squawked.

"We haven't seen you in over a year. That's what. You think you can just breeze in and out of here no questions asked? I won't have it." Jackie had her hands on her hips as she continued to glare at the Doctor.

"Uh… well…" the Doctor began, trying to find the words to explain. "It's rather a time sensitive issue…"

Rose could see her mother was unimpressed. "We'll be back as soon as we're done, Mum. Then we can have a cuppa."

"No. The Doctor can go alone. I want to have a proper visit with my daughter."

"But, but…" The Doctor looked at Rose helplessly as he bounced impatiently.

She knew they had to leave right away if they were going to successfully track the teleport. "Mum, it's too dangerous for him to go alone. We don't know what we'll find. I have to go with him."

Jackie was unmoved. "Pete can go with him."

"A year?" Rose verified.

Jackie nodded firmly. "A year."

Reluctantly, Rose assented, giving the Doctor a quick kiss and whispering, "Be careful," before he raced off after the cryptometer readings, Pete right behind him.

Jackie smiled triumphantly. "There. Now you can give me and Tony a proper tour of the TARDIS before tea. He's been begging to see the inside since your last visit."

Trying not to worry about what kind of trouble the Doctor was getting himself into, Rose dutifully led her family through the TARDIS. Tony was captivated by the control room as soon as they boarded. His eyes were as large as saucers as he surveyed the circular control panel, eyeing the many buttons and levers. Before she could stop him, Tony pressed a button and Rose found herself holding her breath, waiting for disaster to strike. To her extreme relief, the only reaction seemed to be a pulse of light coming from the time converter.

Deciding it was time to move on, Rose quickly ushered them down the corridor, cheering up slightly at their reactions as she showed off some of her favourite rooms. She was about to show them the wardrobe room, when Tony suddenly turned the knob on the door to the nursery.

"Stop!" Rose shouted, immediately panicking. She had been deliberately avoiding that room since it hurt so much to even think about it.

But it was too late. "Toys!" Tony screeched, delighted as he raced into the room and pulled a box of building blocks from one of the shelves.

Horrified, Rose stared into the once beloved room for a moment before recoiling. "No, no, no, no," she said as she backed away from the room nearly bumping into Jackie in her haste to flee.

"Rose?" Jackie asked, her face etched with concern. "What's wrong, darling?"

Rose shook her head, the tears she'd been restraining rolling down her cheeks. "I... we..." She met her mother's eyes and the words flooded from her. "The Doctor and I can't have a baby. Ever." Her shoulders began to shake as a sob escaped.

Instantly, Jackie was there, enveloping Rose in a familiar embrace that was filled with comfort, love and compassion. "Oh, sweetheart."

"I wanted to have his baby so badly," Rose confessed softly, her tears soaking the shoulder of Jackie's sweater.

Jackie held her daughter tightly as she cried, rubbing her back lightly and murmuring words of comfort into her ear. Slowly Rose's anguish ebbed and her sobs slowed to stilted breathing and hic-ups. When she was calm again, Rose returned her mother's hug and pulled away.

"Thank you, Mum," she said, offering a shaky smile.

"That's what I'm here for." Jackie took Rose's arm and led her down the corridor. "Come on, Tony's fine. Let's go have a cuppa. Tea heals all ills."

The tea did indeed make Rose feel better, and after Jackie retrieved Tony, she decided to show them the wardrobe room.

Tony was in love with it immediately. He raced up and down the spiral staircases, running his hands along the many different textures of the clothing that hung throughout the room. After that, the three of them had fun trying on outfits ranging from posh, to ridiculously outdated, to completely outlandish.

Deciding it was time to end the tour, Rose gently ushered Jackie and Tony down the ramp as she babbled about her desire for a nice home-cooked meal. Jackie was teasing her about how she only ever came home to eat, when Rose realized that something was wrong. She stopped, just outside the TARDIS entrance, holding her arms out so Jackie and Tony would stay behind her.

A quick survey of the situation told her that they were surrounded by at least a dozen red-eyed Ood, maybe more. Fear gripped her chest, as the Ood began to chant and close in around them. Rose held her ground, pushing Jackie and Tony back toward the TARDIS, never taking her eyes off the approaching Ood.

The Ood closest to Rose pulled out some kind of weapon that looked similar to a gun and aimed it at her. Rose heard a buzzing sound just before someone screamed her name and everything went dark.

_To Be Continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Someone was screaming, but the sound was tinny and far away, mixed with other noises like scuffles and shouts. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw flashes of light and shadowy images flickering above her. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and focusing on her body. She was certain that her head should be pounding right now, that her heart should be thumping in her chest. To her surprise, she was perfectly calm, feeling nothing but energy – familiar, yet foreign – racing through her veins.

She opened her eyes again, and this time the images were a bit clearer. She moved her hand slowly, raising it to her face. It was glowing, emitting white, iridescent light. She studied it for a moment, marvelling at the serene peacefulness that filled her.

She stood slowly, blinking as her surroundings came into focus. She surveyed the room, taking in the Ood that circled her. She paused for a second as she spotted Jackie and Tony standing just inside the TARDIS doors with their eyes wide and fearful. She smiled at them briefly before continuing her scan of the room. They were all in danger. She needed to stay focused.

"Rose?" Jackie's voice was shaking. "What's going on?"

Her bright gaze was fixed on the Ood as she spoke. "I am the Bad Wolf, reawakened after years of sleep."

Another buzz sounded through the air. She saw the energy from the Ood's gun as it came hurtling toward her mother. "No," she said firmly, holding her ethereal hand out to block the blast. The energy shimmered for a moment then dissipated in a fall of sparks that imitated fireworks. She turned blazing eyes toward the Ood who had fired the blast. "You are insignificant. Nothing but the face of a foe whose mind is elsewhere." Images floated through her consciousness as she spoke, and she instantly recognized them as threads from a timeline.

The Ood continued to close in around Rose. One of them had reached the TARDIS and was attaching something to the side and Rose knew in that moment that it wasn't her, or her mother, or even the Doctor that Ood were after. They wanted the TARDIS, though to what purpose, she wasn't sure. Normally the thought would have panicked her, but at the moment all Rose felt was calm, and power. She knew who she was, what she was, and she knew what to do. She was the Bad Wolf and enslaved or not, she would not let them harm the TARDIS or her family.

She held out her hand, palm up to the Ood touching the TARDIS. "You are trapped in slavery and do evil not of your own free will." She closed her fist and the Ood collapsed to the floor, unconscious. "I gift you with the slumber of innocence for you know not what you do." She twirled, spreading the energy throughout the room as one by one the rest of the Ood fell, not dead, but no longer a threat.

The light emanating from her faded as each Ood dropped to the floor, until she was back to normal, save her eyes.

"Rose?" Jackie whispered, coming to stand before her daughter. "Rose, what happened? You were -" her voice broke, "You were on the ground, hurt, not moving, not breathing. I thought you were..." Jackie sobbed. "Then suddenly you were standing and glowing. Rose, it was so bright, and your eyes, they're still different."

Rose looked at her, the last vestiges of a thought drifting from her mind as her eyes dimmed. She could still feel the remnants of power floating through her; a tiny frisson of tingling that lingered against her skin. "I'm okay, Mum. The power is gone now."

"But what was that?" Jackie stared from her daughter to the heap of unconscious Ood that surrounded them.

"Do you remember when we ripped open the TARDIS so that I could get back the Doctor?"

"How could I forget that? You vanished and didn't return until you came for Christmas with your new Doctor."

"Well, I was able to get back to the Doctor because I absorbed all of that energy from the TARDIS. It turned me into the Bad Wolf," Rose explained. "Just like now. I thought it was gone for good." Her eyes filled with sadness for a moment as she remembered her first Doctor, who had sacrificed himself to save her.

"But you didn't absorb the energy now, so why did it happen?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know, but it was the same thing."

"Is it dangerous?" Jackie wanted to know, pulling a frightened looking Tony to her side and hugging him tightly.

Rose shook her head. "No, I don't think so, not this time."

Jackie narrowed her eyes. "You mean it was before?"

"Not exactly. I don't quite understand it, my memories of that day are rather fuzzy, but I remember it hurt. I could see all of time and space, just like him, and it hurt, it burned. The Doctor, he took it out of me. That's _why_ he changed."

"Are you saying he died for you?" Jackie asked, wide eyed.

Rose nodded. "In a manner of speaking."

Jackie's eyes glistened. "He kept his promise," she said softly, awed.

"Yes, Mum, he did. And it _killed_ him. Back then he could just regenerate, but now he would die. You _can't_ tell him about this."

"I won't," Jackie said uncertainly.

"Promise me," Rose said fiercely, her eyes suddenly glowing again. "Because if he finds out, he might try to remove it again and then I'd lose him - permanently. I need him, Mum, so I need you to keep this from him."

Jackie released Tony and gathered her daughter into a large hug. "Oh, sweetheart. Of course I promise." She studied Rose for a moment. "But if it could kill him, won't it hurt you?"

Rose shook her head, surprised at her own confidence. "The power is a part of me. It's safe for me... but ONLY for me."

"I won't pretend that I understand all this," Jackie said, frowning. "But I won't say a word."

"Thank you." She hugged her mum, then pulled away and took out her cell phone. "I should call Torchwood to clean up this mess."

"I'll leave you to it then," Jackie led Tony toward the house. "We'll meet you inside when you're done."

Rose watched as they disappeared from sight before sighing and surveying the Ood. It was going to be a long day.

*****

The Doctor returned to the mansion later that night, frustrated that his efforts to track the missing Ood hadn't panned out.

He found Rose in the sitting room, chatting with her mother over a cup of tea. He joined her on the chesterfield after retrieving some tea of his own. Jackie excused herself and he found himself alone with his beautiful wife.

They sat cuddling together, happy just to be near each other as he filled her in on his unsuccessful attempt at tracking the source of the teleportation of the Ood. When he finished, she studied him for a moment before hesitantly whispering, "They came here."

"Who?" the Doctor asked absently as he idly traced patterns on her bare arm with his fingers.

"The Ood; they came here today."

"What?!?" The Doctor sat up abruptly, nearly knocking Rose to the floor.

He stared at her, distracted momentarily when she bit her lip and all he could think about was kissing her. Her next words startled him back to reality. "I gave Mum and Tony a tour of the TARDIS and when we came out they had us surrounded."

Instantly, he pulled her into a tight hug, his brain filled with a million images of things that could have happened to her. "Are you okay?"

Rose nodded against his shoulder. "I'm fine now. We all are. We contacted Torchwood and it's been taken care of."

"You should have called me." His voice was stern but filled with worry.

Rose hugged him more tightly. "There wasn't time. Besides, you needed to try and trace the source."

"Fat lot of good that did," the Doctor muttered. He pulled away from her embrace slightly so he could see her face. "I shouldn't have left you alone."

He kissed her gently and was surprised when she returned it with fervour, clinging to his shirt as she pulled him closer, pressing her body to his. Losing himself in her affections, the Doctor wrapped his arms around her and brought them both to their feet increasing the level of contact between them. Rose broke the kiss, panting as she rested her cheek against his and whispered, "I love you," into his ear.

"And I you." The Doctor smiled, taking her hand and guiding her down the corridor to their bedroom to show her just how much.

*****

The next few months passed in a blur as Rose and the Doctor continued to travel through time and space. They returned to earth regularly so that Rose could visit Jackie, but they seldom stayed longer than a day or two, preferring instead to keep moving. Sometimes the Doctor would let the TARDIS choose where they were going, and though this often resulted in trips where they risked imprisonment, or worse, and had to run for their lives, there were just as many that became relaxing outings where the Doctor was able to show Rose the many things he adored about the universe.

It was as they were on their way to Sixteenth Century France to see the first ever hot air balloon flight that trouble arose.

The TARDIS began to shake as they moved through the vortex and suddenly they were both hurdled into the grating on the floor. Lights flickered as the entire console rattled ominously and the Doctor managed to crawl to Rose just before the TARDIS spun sideways and they both went flying toward the ramp. They clasped hands and Rose groped for the metal rail as she passed it, grasping it tightly as the Doctor dangled from her arm. The Doctor clung to Rose, as the TARDIS continued to shake. Just as he felt himself beginning to slip, there was an ear shattering bang and the ship fell still and silent.

Her grip wrenched loose from the force of the crash, so Rose and the Doctor found themselves tumbling again. They landed near the door in a heap. Rose groaned, her arm and shoulder aching as she tried to stand. The Doctor had already scrambled up the ramp and was examining the console as best he could with the sharp angle, surveying the damage and muttering. Tentatively, he returned to the door and tried it, surprised when it opened easily. He stepped out onto a moonlit sandy beach that stretched on for miles and motioned for Rose to follow.

Hand in hand they walked for a few feet before turning to look back at the TARDIS. It was tilted sharply to one side and slightly forward, giving it the appearance of a shorter, more rectangular tower of Pisa.

"What do you think happened?" Rose asked.

The Doctor ran his hands through his hair. "I'm not sure. Possibly a malfunction with the conversion fribrulator, or the flux-o-metre."

"Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can fix it! We need to get her upright first though so I can diagnose her properly." He circled the TARDIS trying to figure out the best way to adjust her. After some quick deliberations, he and Rose carefully shifted the box, rearranging it until it was standing upright on level ground.

Several hours later, the Doctor had determined that a coil within the dichromatic capacitor had cracked and caused the flux-o-metre to melt. The damage was reparable but in the meantime they were grounded on whatever planet they'd landed on.

In the morning they went for a walk along the endless sandy beach. After walking for almost an hour, they came to a small, seaside village inhabited by human-looking aliens with yellow skin and long tails. Rose and the Doctor made some inquiries and discovered that they were on a planet called Illyria. Further questioning revealed that the planet was comprised of four islands, each with their own inhabitants. The villagers welcomed them with open arms and held an impromptu feast in their honour. As soon as it was polite to do so, they took their leave to a chorus of requests for them to return for another visit soon.

They were stranded on Illyria for a month while the Doctor repaired the TARDIS. During their second week on the planet, Rose took ill, spending her days running between the bed and the loo. By their final week, when she showed no sign of improvement, the Doctor began to worry. He took a day off from his repairs to bring her to the village where she was seen by a healer.

The healer, an elderly female villager with wise eyes took one look at Rose and ushered her into her sandstone hut, motioning for the Doctor to wait outside. He paced impatiently for over an hour, his mind whirring with all the possible reasons for why Rose was so sick: Glorms disease, Practomiatical Flu, Hemes Syndrome, or any number of other alien diseases she could have been exposed to during their adventures. His stomach was in knots as he tried to resist barging in to see what was going on.

Finally, the door opened and Rose emerged, looking perkier and happier than he'd seen her in days. She hugged the healer and thanked her, before turning and smiling at the Doctor.

"Well?" he blurted. "What was it? Are you better?"

"In a manner of speaking," Rose said, taking his hand. "Come, I'll tell you everything when we return to the TARDIS."

*****

Rose bit her lip nervously as the Doctor paced in front of her.

"Pregnant?" The Doctor spluttered. "What? But... all the tests said..." He gaped at her, his eyes wide.

Not knowing what to say, Rose remained silent and let the Doctor continue to process the news. She was still absorbing it herself. She suspected that the pregnancy had to have something to do with her becoming the Bad Wolf again, but she had no idea how she was going to explain that to her husband without putting his very existence at risk.

The wave of emotions that passed over the Doctor's face - happiness, confusion, concern, love, elation - echoed the feelings Rose had been experiencing since the healer had told her the news. She had been so overjoyed that her desire for a child had finally come to fruition that she'd broken down in the hut.

The Doctor finally stopped moving and met her gaze. "A baby?" he said hopefully. "We really made a baby?"

Rose grinned. "We really did."

He beamed back at her, closing the distance between them in two quick strides and scooping her into his arms. "I don't know how this happened, but it doesn't matter." He twirled her around, laughing. "I love you, Rose." He kissed, her, a warm and passionate kiss that made her toes curl and her skin prickle. As she sank into him, the angst she'd been feeling for years began to ease and relieved tears began to flow from her eyes.

"I thought it would never happen." Rose confessed, burying her face in his shoulder.

The Doctor sat on the jump seat and pulled her into his lap. "I stopped believing in miracles a long time ago, but this one is irrefutable!"

"He is a miracle, isn't he?" She placed her hand over her abdomen, her eyes alight with joy.

"What do you mean, 'he'? The baby could just as easily be a 'she'," the Doctor protested, placing his hand over hers.

Rose shifted her hands so he could touch her stomach directly. "You're right. Could be either. I just like the idea of a mini 'you' running around with his own little sonic screwdriver."

The Doctor groaned, "Do you know how much damage a child could do with one of those?"

Laughing, Rose shook her head. "Considering this little one is related to you, I'm guessing a lot."

"We're talking worlds imploding. There will be restrictions placed and lectures given before any offspring of mine has a sonic screwdriver in his or her hands."

"Yes, because your rules have always been obeyed in the past," Rose teased.

Scowling, the Doctor muttered, "It's a simple rule: 'Don't wander off.' Honestly, how hard is it to remember?"

Rose snorted. "Well, I think it will be a little while before we have to worry about that." She touched her stomach again, her eyes radiant. "Or baby proofing the TARDIS."

"What?" He gaped at her, dumbfounded.

"The TARDIS has all kinds of small, sharp and hard parts that could harm a baby. We'll have to baby proof it," Rose explained patiently as the Doctor looked around, frowning.

"Baby proof the TARDIS? But that will take ages."

Rose slid off his lap and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Don't worry, we have time. I'll help."

"How much time?" His voice held an edge of panic that Rose found adorable.

She kissed him briefly, on the mouth. "If this is a normal human pregnancy, you have about eight months."

The Doctor relaxed slightly. "That just _might_ be enough time."

Amused, Rose chuckled and reached for the Doctors hand, pulling him to his feet. "Come, I think it's time we visited the nursery again."

He watched her face fill with elation as she said 'nursery' and he felt his heart swell. He knew how much she loved that room and he was thrilled that she was finally going to be able to enter it again. He squeezed her hand and beamed at her. "I think so too."

_To Be Continued_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As soon as the TARDIS was repaired, Rose and the Doctor returned to earth to tell Jackie and Pete the good news. Rose found her mother in the garden sipping tea under an umbrella as she watched Tony play football with his father.

"Mum?" Rose said, sinking into the chair next to Jackie.

"Rose!" Jackie's face lit up. "You're back already? You only left yesterday."

"Really? It's been longer for us."

Jackie frowned. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this, what does the Doctor call it? 'Time, wonky, whacky' stuff."

Laughter filled the air as the Doctor stepped onto the patio. "You mean, Wibbly, wobbly, timey, whimey?"

"Yeah, that. It gives me a headache."

The Doctor sat in the chair next to Rose, crossed his legs and leaned back. "You have no idea." He looked at Rose. "Have you told her yet?"

"Told me what?" Jackie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you two in some kind of trouble again?"

"No. Nothing like that, Mum." Rose smiled and paused dramatically. "We have good news."

Jackie looked at them expectantly. "Well, what is it then?"

"How do you feel about being a grandmother?" Rose's voice was soft, barely a whisper.

The squeal Jackie emitted caused both the Doctor and Rose to jump. Before Rose could process what was happening, her mother absorbed her into a massive hug, nearly knocking them both to the floor in the process.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so happy for you," Jackie told her as she pulled away, tears springing to her eyes. "I know how much you wanted this."

Rose grinned through misty eyes. "Thank you, Mum." Rose reached around her mother, groping until she found the Doctor's hand and could grasp it firmly. "We're both thrilled." She paused, taking her time before she added in a whisper, "I want you there."

After brushing the last remnants of tears from Rose's cheeks, Jackie cupped her daughter's face. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Thank you." Rose hugged her Mum tightly, wincing when Jackie suddenly yelled in her ear.

"Oi, Pete! Rose is pregnant!"

*****

Pregnancy was a glorious time for Rose. Her early bout of morning sickness dissipated after the first trimester and by the middle of her second trimester she was positively glowing. The Doctor was fascinated by the growth of their child and the changes he was seeing on his wife's body. Every morning, he would wake her up with gentle kisses pressed to her abdomen as he whispered to their unborn baby in Gallifreyan. Rose would watch him, her love radiating from her eyes as he formed a bond with the life inside her.

By the third trimester, Rose was beyond uncomfortable. Her stomach felt enormous and she missed seeing her feet. She was incredibly crabby and found the need for frequent trips to the loo annoying.

To cheer her up one day near the middle of her eighth month. The Doctor took her to the planet of the Whirly Giggles. They stepped into a field of what looked like white dandelions, only instead of being white, they were silver and glimmered brightly under the five colourful suns that surrounded the planet. Tiny silver seeds drifted on the wind, their final destination completely unknown.

"They're called Whirly Giggles," the Doctor explained. "And each of these strands contains a dream." He reached out and caught one gently before handing it out to Rose.

Spinning it in her hand, Rose admired the iridescent shimmer it gave off. Something akin to the rainbow that's formed when light hits a prism at just the right angle. "This is a dream?"

The Doctor nodded and motioned the miles of silver before them. "A field of dreams. Every dream in the universe is preserved in the Whirly Giggles. Every wish, every wistful thought. They come here and are etched on the surface of these tiny petals. Rather remarkable when you think of it."

Rose looked down at the petal in her hand and examined it more closely_._Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and realized that whatever dream it held, was actually playing out along the surface of it, though it was too small for her to see anything more than the motion. She let the Whirly Giggle go, following it with her gaze as it drifted high above their heads and out of sight.

"Doctor, this is beautiful." Rose slipped her hand into his. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"I thought you would like it. It's peaceful here, isn't it?" He smiled at her, but his expression quickly changed to one of concern when he noticed her face was contorted. "Rose, what is it?"

A tiny cry of pain escaped her lips and she looked at him with panicky eyes. "I need my Mum," she gasped as a pool of water suddenly formed at her feet. "Now."

"Can you walk?"

Rose nodded, so the Doctor gently guided her back to the TARDIS and settled her on to the jump seat. Assured that she was safe for the time being, he wasted no time in preparing the TARDIS for a trip to earth. His last thought as they began to materialize in the Tyler living room was. _The baby is coming. I'll get to meet my son or daughter soon._He'd never been more excited, or terrified, about anything in his entire life.

*****

Jackie had taken one look at her daughter before rushing her into the bedroom and trying to take control of the situation. "Doctor, I need hot water, and towels. Not the good towels, mind you, the shabby ones, with the gold and yellow trim."

The Doctor gaped at her in disbelief for a moment. "Oi! Who said you were in charge, Jackie Tyler? This is my wife and baby we're talking about. Besides, I think I know a little bit more about these things than you."

Jackie's cheeks were inflamed. "You? Have you ever given birth? I don't think so. I've done it twice. I think I'm the more qualified person in the room."

"I'm a Doctor," he spluttered in exasperation.

"You're not _that_ kind of Doctor and you know it," Jackie countered, hands on her hips.

Rose cried out then, arching her back and scrunching up her face in apparent pain as another contraction rippled through her body. Jackie flew to her daughter's side, squeezing her hand and speaking soothingly until Rose relaxed.

"Please," she pleaded breathlessly. "Don't fight."

The Doctor nodded. "I'm sorry," he said instantly.

"Me too, sweetheart." Jackie rubbed the back of Rose's hand. "I'll go get the towels."

By the time Jackie returned, Rose was having another contraction. Jackie returned to her side, comforting her daughter, keeping her calm. After that, the contractions began coming at an alarming rate. It seemed like only minutes passed before Rose was pushing. The Doctor watched in amazement as a coif of little golden curls appeared. The rest of the head was next, and then the shoulders.

With a final scream and a push, the job was done and Rose collapsed against the pillow, panting as she looked at the Doctor expectantly. A soft, furious cry filled the room and Rose stared, teary eyed as the Doctor held the tiny infant to his chest and kissed its head. Instantly the baby stopped crying.

The Doctor carefully snipped the umbilical cord and wrapped the baby up before handing the tiny blanket-clad infant to Rose. "It's a girl, Rose. We have a daughter." His voice was thick with emotion as he watched Rose cradle the child in her arms.

"A daughter," Rose repeated, her voice filled with awe as she stared down at the living, breathing newborn. She looked at the Doctor for a moment, repeating his words. "We have a daughter."

His own eyes misty, the Doctor nodded, not trusting his voice to be calm. He sat on the bed, wrapping his arms around Rose, as together they studied the child they had created. Her full head of pale blond hair was sticking out in all directions, and when the Doctor reached out to touch it he was surprised to find it softer than feathers. Her fingers and toes were long and slender, ending with the tiniest nails he'd ever seen. Her vibrant hazel eyes looked almost purple as they fluttered open and closed a few times before she drifted off to sleep, her little chest rising and falling with every deep, even breath.

"She's beautiful," Rose whispered.

"Perfect," the Doctor agreed. "Just like her mother." He kissed her temple and tightened his embrace.

"She needs a name," Jackie told them, and they both looked up in surprise, having forgotten that they weren't alone.

"What's in a name?" the Doctor quoted, "That which we call a rose ..."

"...by any other name would smell as sweet," Rose finished for him, trying not to laugh at the Doctor's baffled expression. "Yeah, Shakespeare used that one on me."

The Doctor laughed. "Of course he did. Good ol' Will!"

"You've met Shakespeare?" asked Pete, who had been hovering in the doorway with Tony.

"Oh yes, multiple times," The Doctor said earnestly. "We even saw one of the first ever performances of _Romeo and Juliet._"

"We also saw _Twelfth Night_ remember?" Rose's lips curved upward at the memory.

She was rewarded with a huge grin. "How could I forget? It's such a brilliant story."

"It really is." Rose looked down at the child cuddled against her chest. "You know... Viola is a beautiful name..."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh! Rose, it's _brilliant_!"

"Yeah?"

He gazed down at his daughter. "I can't think of a more perfect name for her."

"Me either." Rose stroked her daughter's hair as she tried it out. "Viola." The little girl stirred, squirming in her mother's arms as her eyes fluttered open for a moment. She sighed contentedly and relaxed, drifting back into sleep. "I think she likes it," Rose whispered.

"That's settled then." The Doctor looked over to Jackie, Pete, and Tony. "Viola. We're going to call her Viola Tyler."

*****

Two nights later, Rose woke in the middle of the night only to find herself alone in their bedroom on the TARDIS. She heard murmuring coming from the other room so she quietly slipped on her robe and padded over to the nursery. She froze in the doorway, an adoring smile gracing her lips as she observed the scene before her.

The Doctor was holding an incredibly awake Viola in his arms as he stood in the center of the room. The lights were out, so the swirling constellations on the ceiling shone brightly as he gestured to various planets and stars, softly explaining to his daughter what each one was.

The intergalactic mobile shifted and the constellations for another galaxy appeared. Without missing a beat, the Doctor began to tell Viola stories about the stars and planets within this galaxy. "And that spot there - " He pointed to a dark section where there appeared to only be a few specks of something, "That's the Constellation of Kasterborous, where Gallifrey used to be," he whispered sadly.

"If I could, I'd take you to the golden domed Capitol, and I would show you off to the Time Lords at the academy." He paused, glancing down at Viola, her cheeks were rosy as she stared up at her father, her eyes wide and unusually focussed. "You would have liked the Time Lords, I think, they were a bit of a bossy lot - stuffy old bores, to be frank, but at heart they were peaceful and good. Collectively they had a lot of wisdom." He turned away from Viola for a moment and Rose could tell that he was feeling another bout of loneliness for his people. A part of her wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but she didn't want to intrude on his bonding time with their daughter, so instead she held back, continuing to watch from the doorway.

"You'd like the planet itself too, I think. It really is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, and believe me, Viola, your father has been a lot of places in this universe and others." He had a nostalgic look in his eyes as he continued. "I always loved the trees best, with their silver leaves that glimmered under the orange suns. I would stare at them for hours as I sat beneath the trees on the banks of Lake Abydos. The best parts of my childhood were spent there. Oh, Viola, I wish I could take you there, so you could speak to the singing fish - you haven't heard anything until you've heard them sing - it's the most amazing sound in the universe..." he trailed off, his voice wistful and sad.

Rose felt her chest constrict and a lump formed in her throat as she watched her husband bare his soul to their tiny daughter.

Viola's eyes began to droop, so the Doctor started to sway back and forth slightly, turning his attention from the swirling sky above to the beautiful infant in his arms. To Rose's surprise, he started to sing, a soft, gentle tune that floated on the air as Viola drifted off to sleep. It took Rose several minutes to realize he was singing in Gallifreyan. Overcome with emotion, Rose turned to slip away, but the Doctor's voice stopped her.

"It's a lullaby," he said softly. "The only memory I have of my father is him singing this to me when I was just a wee boy. It means: 'I was born into sunlight, I will live forever. To sing and to dance, a walker of the night.'" He turned back to Viola and continued to sing, "Rashae'Yer, Ohn'Relue, Nakina'Eusa, Shantet'Naquet."

*****

Rose sat in the rocking chair of the TARDIS nursery, gazing down at the suckling eight week old infant in her arms. Viola cooed softly and turned her head away from her mother, the faintest tug of a smile playing on her tiny lips. Her eyes fluttered sleepily a few times and for a moment Rose saw the flash of an image in her mind. Nothing distinct, but it was bright and happy, whatever it was. Then Viola balled her little hands into fists as she stretched. Her body relaxed again and her eyes drifted shut as she snuggled up to her mother's warm chest and sighed contentedly.

The door opened and Rose grinned as her husband poked his head into the room. "Is she sleeping, _again_?" he whispered.

Rose stood, careful not to wake Viola. "Yes. Infants need a lot of sleep, Doctor."

He scowled as he watched Rose carefully settle Viola into the bassinet. "But Time Lord infants don't," he argued, his voice squeaking slightly.

Rose kissed her fingers and placed them gently to their daughter's cheek before ushering him out of the room. "We've had this conversation before. You're half human, and she only has one heart, so we don't know if she's human or Time Lord."

"I'm also half Time Lord. And the Time Lord DNA should be stronger." He furrowed his brow as he looked back at the closed nursery door.

"I'm glad she appears to be human," Rose said plainly.

The Doctor gaped at her, spluttering as he spoke. "But she's our daughter, don't you want her to be able to regenerate, to live a long life, to see the stars?"

"Of course I do, Doctor. But --" Rose swallowed loudly and gently touched his cheek. "But _you're_ human now, and so am I. We're going to age and die someday, and if she's a Time Lord, she'll be left all alone, with no one to guide her, to teach her the laws of the universe. I don't want her to have to experience that kind of pain. Do you?"

Sadness filled his eyes and she knew he was recalling his own years of loneliness. "No," he said finally, his voice strained. "I don't want that for her." He studied Rose carefully. "But I still think there's a chance that she's a Time Lord."

Rose nodded. "I know. And if she is, we'll deal with it. I just worry, you know?"

It took only a moment of staring into her watery eyes for him to gather her into his arms and hold her tight against his chest. "Of course you worry, Rose. You're her mother, it's your job."

"I love her so much already," Rose whispered.

"I do too. She's amazing," he marvelled.

_To Be Continued_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It turned out that Viola was an easy baby to care for. She was a happy child and Rose was shocked at how seldom she cried. When she was hungry she'd just open her mouth like a little bird, her lips smacking together with a little pop. When she was tired, she would usually fall asleep on her own, or after a fitful nursing. And whenever she woke up from a sleep, Rose or the Doctor would find her lying happily in her cradle babbling away while playing with her feet or hands.

As she grew, the nursery grew with her and gradually the cradle became a crib, and the crib became a small bed. The toys changed on a regular basis and Rose sometimes wondered if the TARDIS wasn't spoiling Viola.

Though they visited Jackie and Pete often, Rose called her mother on a regular basis to fill her in on Viola's development. She was a bright little girl and Rose and the Doctor were always marvelling at how quickly she picked up new things. By seven months, she had taken her first wobbly step and from that point on she was zooming around the TARDIS so fast that Rose found it to be a struggle to keep up with her. Luckily, the TARDIS was a huge help and would rearrange the rooms as necessary to help Rose get to Viola more quickly.

Her first birthday was celebrated on Earth and Rose was delighted to see her interacting successfully with the other human children her mother had invited. She couldn't help but notice, however, that many of the other children Viola's age were speaking at least a few words, but so far Viola had done nothing beyond babbling nonsensically at the TARDIS while she played with the toys in her bedroom.

Rose shared her concerns regarding Viola's lack of speech with the Doctor, and was oddly comforted when he reacted more fiercely than she had.

"But she has to talk. Speech is very important."

"I'm sure she will soon," Rose assured him.

"How can she distract her enemies if she can't talk?"

"What enemies, Doctor? She's only a year old!"

"She's _my_ daughter. One day she'll have enemies. She needs to know how to protect herself."

"I agree, but I don't think we need to panic just yet. Maybe she just needs time."

"Time," The Doctor repeated. "I can give her that."

In the months that followed, the Doctor made an effort to speak to Viola more often - asking her questions and hoping she'd answer, telling her stories he'd told her before and pausing in places so she could fill in the blanks. Viola would just stare at him, sometimes laughing at his expression before turning back to her play.

While the Doctor battled Viola's lack of speech, Rose was becoming increasingly frustrated by Viola's resistance to naps. Though she still never cried, she would look at her mother with large sorrowful eyes whenever she tried to make her sleep during the day for any length of time. Rose would lay her in bed and tuck her in, but within minutes of leaving, Viola would climb out of bed and start to play instead. Exasperated, Rose finally gave up, and stopped trying to make her daughter sleep during the day.

Much to her mother's relief, Viola seemed to have no problem going to bed at night. Every evening, the Doctor would read to her, changing his voice for each character, and deliberately over dramatizing. He often made her laugh, but much to his disappointment, she still never spoke. When Viola started to get sleepy, he would stop reading and sing the Gallifreyan lullaby to her. Often, if she wasn't too tired, she would hum along, smiling contentedly.

Not long after her second birthday, Viola came running into the library, interrupting the Doctor, who had been reading his well worn copy of _Hamlet. _

"Daddy, Daddy!" she cried, much to his astonishment.

He gaped at Rose who was standing in the doorway. She shook her head and held out her hands, mouthing, "I don't know."

"Daaaaddy," Viola said impatiently. "I would like you to read me a story."

"You're talking!" he exclaimed, shocked.

Viola rolled her little eyes. "Well, of course I'm talking."

"You never have before," he pointed out.

"There was no point in speaking before I knew how to say everything, Daddy."

"Everything?" Rose raised her eyebrow from over by the door.

"Weeellll, everything in English, French, Latin, Spanish and Gallifreyan."

The Doctor looked impressed. "You are an ambitious one, aren't you?"

Viola nodded and thrust a well loved, illustrated copy of _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ at him. "Sooo, are you going to read to me?" she asked.

"Of course!" The Doctor placed his bookmark inside his book to mark the page, and set it down just as Viola launched herself onto his lap.

She squirmed until she was comfortable. "Make sure you do alllll the voices," she told him.

Rose came to join them on the sofa as the Doctor cleared his throat and began, "All in the golden afternoon, Full leisurely we glide..."

*****

Once Viola started talking, she never stopped. She was a naturally curious child and she would ask her father all kinds of complicated questions about the TARDIS, time, literature, and the places they visited. By the time she was three, Viola was a force to be reckoned with. She was already able to talk her way out of almost any situation, and, particularly where her father was involved, out of trouble as well. Her arguments were a mixture of child's logic and universal wisdom that the Doctor often found difficult to rebut.

He was facing such a dilemma one day after a lovely family trip to Lima - the planet, not the country.

"I love Grandmum," Viola was saying. "But I don't want to stay with her, I want to come to Blatheron with you and Mum."

"No. It's too dangerous."

Viola put her chubby little hands on her hips and stuck out her bottom lip. "I can take care of myself."

"I never said you couldn't."

"Then why can't I come?"

"Ahh, welll." The Doctor searched his mind for a plausible reason. "Because your Grandmother wants to see you," he said in a rush.

Viola rolled her almost violet eyes. "She saw me last week."

"And she wants to see you this week," the Doctor said logically.

"Why?" Viola challenged.

The Doctor fumbled for a response, relieved when Rose walked in and answered for him. "Because your Grandmother misses you. Now do as your father says and sit down on the jump seat so we can take you to her."

Viola scowled but did as she was told.

The Doctor gave Rose a quick kiss and whispered, "Thank you," before turning his attention to the console and pressing a sequence of numbers. "Right. Earth, 2024, here we go."

The TARDIS landed smoothly a moment later, and Rose quickly brushed the wrinkles out of Viola's green and yellow dress before taking her hand and leading her down the ramp after the Doctor.

The streetwas in chaos. People were running everywhere, screaming as large ships with laser guns shot at them from above.

The Doctor quickly backed his family up to the TARDIS as he screwed up his face in utter confusion.

"What? This isn't right." He scanned the street again, this time noticing the Christmas decorations that adorned all the shop windows and the street lamps.

"Is it Christmas, Daddy?" Viola asked excitedly; completely oblivious to the shouting and violence that surrounded them.

"It shouldn't be. Where are we?" He looked up into the sky and spotted a symbol on one of the air ships. "Calirusians?" He snapped his fingers and turned back to Rose and Viola. "That's it! Christmas Day, 2037, the Calirusian Invasion in London - it must have happened in _both_ universes. This is a piece of history, Rose!"

He picked up Viola and took Rose's hand. "Come on, we need to get to Torchwood!"

"But what about Viola?" Rose asked between strides, "Isn't it dangerous?"

"It is, but we have no choice. I'm not leaving her alone, and we can't leave, not yet."

They reached the Torchwood offices and tore through the door, the Doctor in a bit of a frenzied state. Someone screamed. Another person dropped a mug and it shattered on the floor, the ping of broken glass filled the room as everyone fell silent and still.

The Doctor gazed at the gaping faces surrounding them. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose and Viola. We're here to help."

A young, pimpled teenage boy spoke first. "The Doctor? But--"

"Shhhh," someone hushed sharply.

A stern looking woman stepped out of the crowd. "Doctor, of course we know who you are, you're legendary around here."

He shifted Viola to the floor and grinned at Rose. "Hear that? I'm legendary."

Rose shook her head at him then turned to the woman. "Tell us how we can help."

The woman eyed Viola, a hint of sadness passing through her eyes before she nodded. "Of course."

The woman, who turned out to be General Marissa Hemmings, the current leader of the Torchwood Invasions Squad, quickly briefed them on how the invasion had begun and what their plan was to stop it. After some quick deliberations, it was decided that Viola would stay at Torchwood with General Hemmings while Rose and the Doctor assisted in the battle efforts.

Several of the young Torchwood agents they were working with kept shooting Rose and the Doctor odd looks and it was beginning to make Rose uncomfortable. There was no time to address it though, so she let it slide as she and the Doctor tore off to chase down a Calirusian cruiser.

The Doctor climbed onto the fire escape of a nearby building and began to race up the ladder, with Rose close behind him. They reached the roof as the cruiser floated past, shooting at the streets below. Rose watched in horror as the Doctor sprinted toward the side of the building and leapt from it, narrowly managing to grasp the very edge of the back end of the ship. She held her breath as he dangled in mid-air, his legs scrambling below him as he tried to find something more to grip. After what seemed like decades, he finally found his footing and managed to make his way to a hatch in the center of the airship.

Rose felt a tightening in her chest as she watched him disappear from view and she was convincing herself that he would be all right when a thud on the other side of the roof drew her attention away from her husband. Her eyes widened as a massive chain mail-clad warrior stalked toward her. He looked like a knight that had stepped right out of the middle ages, save for his oversized helmet and a red weapon that had a spiked ball attached to a rod with a chain.

He swung the ball over his head and after it circled twice, thrust it forward. Nearly a dozen laser beams came shooting out of the spikes and Rose had to duck and roll to avoid being hit. He fired again as she dove behind a planter box. Dirt and plant debris rained over her but she didn't flinch. Instead she looked around, frantically searching for some kind of weapon. She spotted a large rock a few feet away. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do. Taking a deep breath, she lunged for it just as the Calirusian knight came round the planter and hovered above her. He whirled the ball again and flung it toward her head with such velocity that she knew she'd never be able to get out of the way in time. Closing her eyes, she thought of the Doctor and Viola as she braced herself for the blow.

*****

The Doctor was hanging from a rope ladder in the upper hatch of the airship. When he'd pulled the hatch door shut behind him, he'd been plunged into darkness. He clung to the ladder with one hand as he rummaged in his pockets for his sonic screwdriver with the other. After several missed attempts, his fingers finally gripped the sleek metallic object. He quickly extracted it and deftly turned it on, shining the blue light downward.

Discovering that the ground was only a few feet below, the Doctor released his grip on the ladder and let himself fall to the metal floor. Pleased with himself for landing on his feet, the Doctor used the light from the sonic to determine which way to go.

Several minutes later he was standing with his ear pressed to a metal door and an expression of deep concentration carved across his face. After a beat he heard what he'd been waiting for and shoved the door open, startling the five occupants in the small control room. Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, the Doctor aimed the screwdriver at the complex control panel, effectively locking their weapons.

Recovering, the Calirusians formed a circle around the Doctor, their chain mail armour clanking as they moved. Two of them had spiked flails, and the other three were brandishing swords. In perfect unison, all five knights attacked the Doctor, who stood calmly between them, a small smile pursing his lips. When the weapons came within five centimetres of the Doctor, a vibrant blue light flashed, causing them to bounce back toward their owners.

"Force field," the Doctor explained jovially at the Calirusians' stunned expressions. "Did you really expect me to just come in here unprotected?"

The Calirusians stared at him.

"Really? I always thought your lot were smarter than that." They continued to stare at him. "No matter." He shrugged. "So tell me, I've always wondered, why invade? Why earth when your entire species is more intelligent than the mere humans you attack?"

The tallest of the five knights was the first to speak. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you'd know." He offered his hand to the knight and shook vigorously. "I'm the Doctor."

There was a collective gasp as all five knights backed away from him.

"Ahhh, so you've heard of me then? That's marvelous!" He beamed proudly. "Always makes things so much easier when you don't have to explain who you are to your enemies."

One of the taller Calirusian soldiers took off his helmet and growled at the Doctor, who merely laughed.

"I don't suppose you want to tell me why you're attacking London, Earth?"

His question was met with silence. The Doctor surveyed the soldiers critically, turning to face the shortest knight, who was shuffling his feet anxiously. "Why are you here?" he asked him sternly.

The knight looked down at the floor and muttered, "We need resources, our planet, Ruan, is dying."

"Dying? What do you mean dying?"

The knight raised his head and met the Doctor's gaze. "Ruan has been in drought for the past seven years. We can no longer grow food, there is nothing to drink. Our people are dying, Doctor."

The tallest knight scoffed. "It is not his business, he does not care."

Whirling around, the Doctor took a step toward him. "Who says I don't care?"

They stared at each other for a long time until finally one of the other soldiers spoke. "Can you help us?"

The Doctor frowned. "I can try. What happened before the drought began?"

"There was a war," the smallest knight explained. "The Grofay attacked us with the might of their full army. We fought back, but still they came, thousands of them relentlessly pushing their way into our cities, murdering our people."

"Then, one day the fighting just stopped," another soldier told him. "A contingent of Grofay stood outside our largest city. Their leader was holding a box instead of a weapon."

"A box?" The Doctor tugged on his ear. "What kind of box?"

"It was forged iron, and adorned with symbols I'd never seen before." The tallest soldier watched the Doctor wearily as he spoke. "When the box was opened a cloud of mist came out and the entire Grofay army vanished. We never saw them again."

"And the drought began right after this?"

"Yes. No one has ever been able to prove it, but many suspect the Grofay caused it."

"A cloud of mist? An iron box? This sound familiar." The Doctor tugged at his hair and spun in a circle. "Think, think, think!"

"You can't help us," the tallest knight accused. "I told you he didn't care." He shot the Doctor a disgusted look and spat at the floor.

The Doctor faced him, a small smile on his face as the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in his mind. "Oh, but I think I can. The mist that you saw, did it move at all?"

"Yes!" one of the smaller soldiers told him. "It hovered in the air at first, but then it started to drift toward the city."

The Doctor nodded and paused thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "If I'm correct, and I usually am, then the Grofay released a parasite on your planet. It's called a Hevavore, it's virtually invisible and it consumes all liquid. That would explain your drought."

"How do we kill it?" the tall knight demanded.

The Doctor gestured to the control unit. "Connect me to your king."

*****

Rose's whole body stiffened as she waited for what she knew would be a very painful blow. After nearly a minute, she realized that nothing had happened and she opened her eyes tentatively. She was stunned at what she saw.

The knight who had been viciously attacking her had vanished. Confused, Rose sat up, quickly assessing her surroundings. There was no one else on the roof. Frowning, Rose looked up into the sky. To her astonishment, the Calirusian airships had stopped shooting. Instead, they were drifting upward, away from the city, as though they were in retreat.

Springing to her feet, Rose ran to the edge of the building. The airship that her husband had entered was slowly rising. She watched as it came to hover over the roof. The Doctor emerged a moment later, waving as the cruiser followed it's counterparts up into the atmosphere.

Rose flung herself into his arms. "Doctor, what happened?"

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she felt him smiling against her skin. "They were attacking because of a conflict on their planet but it's been fixed now. They can all go home."

"That's it? Just like that the attack is over?"

"Wellll, it was a little more complicated than that, but essentially yes, it's over."

Rose grinned at him. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Yes, I do."

Rose laughed and kissed him thoroughly on the lips before taking his hand and leading him back towards the fire escape. "Let's go get our daughter and go home."

*****

A few minutes later, they stood on the street below with the Torchwood operatives, staring at the sky as the Calirusians departed, until all that remained were the familiar airships that were a mainstay of this universe.

As they walked back to Canary Wharf, Rose chatted merrily with a female Torchwood agent called Becky. Becky had a daughter the same age as Viola and Rose found it delightful to be able to swap stories of their children's antics. It was while she was describing Viola's recent tirade about the lack of decent protein on the planet Nuli that they turned a corner and the Doctor nearly ran headfirst into Jake. Jake was middle aged now, with lines on his face and a smattering of grey along his temples. He gaped, his gaze quickly shifting to Rose and then back to the Doctor.

Glancing back to be sure that Rose was still preoccupied, the Doctor pulled Jake to the side. "Something's happened, hasn't it?" he whispered.

Jake shook his head vigorously. "No," he gasped, unconvincingly.

"I need to know." He shot another look at Rose, relieved to see she that was still talking to Becky. "But not here."

Jake nodded and muttered something about meeting at the Glen Fiddick Pub in twenty minutes.

When the Doctor returned to the TARDIS an hour later he found Rose and Viola in the library where Rose was reading _The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland_ to Viola for the millionth time. He watched them for a moment, his thoughts haunted as he thought of what he had learned from Jake.

He swallowed and tried to push the thoughts from his mind, tried to forget what he knew would now be etched on his consciousness forever.

_To Be Continued..._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Doctor stood in the doorway to the TARDIS library with a lump in his throat as he watched his wife reading to their daughter from _The __Adventures of Alice in Wonderland_.

When Rose finished the chapter, he went to them, picking up Viola and hugging her tightly. "I love you," he murmured.

Viola giggled and tried to push away, her whole body squirming. "I know Daddy." She paused, her eyes boring into his, and for a moment he felt as though she were in his mind. A second later however, she laughed again and patted his cheek playfully. "You're silly."

He chuckled. "I suppose I am."

"Can I get down now?" She began to wriggle again. "I need to check on Sorace."

"Sorace?" The Doctor knelt and set her on the floor.

"My pet elephant. Weeelll, she's not really an elephant. She's really an Invisible Posterpangrian. And she's purple."

"How can she be invisible _and _purple at the same time?" Rose interjected.

Viola sighed dramatically. "She's only invisible when she wants to be, Mummy. The rest of the time she's purple." Without waiting for a response, Viola skipped away, happily whistling the melody to the Gallifreyan lullaby her father sang to her every night.

"What was that all about?" Rose asked, as she returned _The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland _to its home on the shelf.

"Oh, nothing. I just worry that I don't tell her often enough." He glanced down the hallway in the direction she'd disappeared from.

"She knows," Rose said simply, coming to stand before him. "Are you all right, you seem sad about something."

"I'm fine," he insisted.

With a steady and sceptical gaze she studied him. "Okay."

She could tell that something wasn't right, but she didn't push. Instead she put her arms around him and covered his mouth with hers. This kiss was soft and tender and infused with love. The Doctor responded immediately, pressing his hands into her back until her body was flush with his. He kissed her almost feverishly, devouring her as though he was drinking her in to save her for later.

The heat between them intensified and the Doctor quickly closed the library door, sonicing it shut as they sank to the floor. Before he lost himself completely in his wife, the Doctor quickly sent a telepathic message to the TARDIS. _Keep Viola safe_. The responding hum assured him his daughter would be fine, so he focused his attention on the golden body stretched below him.

******

Though the Doctor still was not quite himself over the coming months, he didn't seem to want to talk about it, so Rose decided to let it be. He threw himself into their adventures with an almost manic energy that delighted Viola as much as it concerned Rose.

They flitted across the galaxy from planet to planet, future to future, past to past, encountering beings from all walks of life. Viola approached each new trip with excitement and glee, merrily skipping around the console and babbling at her parents as her father flew them to each new destination.

For Viola's fourth birthday, the Doctor let her pick their destination for the first time. Viola spent days studying the constellations on the mobile in her room, trying to figure out which planet, or which point in history she wanted to visit. She spent hours talking to her father, debating the merits of the Yurba Nebular cluster versus the Cofrukian Nanoblasts.

Finally, on the morning of her birthday, she padded out of her room to the console room, her brow furrowed in a way so similar to that of her father that Rose nearly burst out laughing.

"I know where I want to go," she announced proudly.

The Doctor grinned and began to prep the console. "Where to?"

"Pipqwinkski!"

"Pipqwinkski?" The Doctor stared at her. "Why would you want to go there?"

Viola looked disgusted. "Faeries, Daddy."

"Faeries? Faeries? Those aren't Faeries, they're Yurekjek's."

"Well, they _look_ like faeries," Viola said earnestly, holding up a book that she had found in the planetary section of the library. "They have wings and sparkles and everything."

"Give me that." The Doctor took the book from her and turned the page. "_This_ is what your 'faeries' actually are." He held up a picture of a grotesque grey creature with sharp jagged teeth."

Viola's eyes widened and she backed away until she was standing in front of her mother. Rose placed her hand on Viola's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. "Those aren't pretty at all," she said, clearly disappointed.

The Doctor closed the book with a sharp snap and knelt in front of his daughter. "I'm sorry, love. But the Yurekjek's are all sorts of trouble. They like to cause mischief, _especially_around small children."

"I'm not small," Viola retorted, her lip puckered as she crossed her arms and glowered at her father.

The Doctor looked at Rose helplessly. She sighed and crouched so that she was at her daughter's level. "Viola, sweetheart?"

Viola turned and looked at her mother. "What, Mummy?"

"Isn't there anywhere else you want to go?"

Viola tilted her head as she thought about it. "Weeeelllll, figure skaters are almost like faeries. Only better cause they twirl through the air without wings." She looked at her father. "There's figure skating in the Olympics isn't there?"

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, yes. How does 2010, Vancouver, BC, Canada sound?"

Viola smiled and it lit her entire face. "Brilliant Daddy!"

"Off we go, then!" The Doctor reached out to her. "Come on, you're four now, you can help me navigate."

"I can drive?" Viola lunged at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She gave him a quick hug before tugging enthusiastically on his arm. "What are we waiting for?" She jumped up and down impatiently while she waited for him to stand. "Let's go, let's go!"

The Doctor chuckled and followed her to the console. "Slow down there, Vi. Let me show you what to do."

Rose watched in amusement as he lifted their rambunctious daughter into the air, and showed her which buttons to press, and levers to pull. She eagerly followed every instruction, and as the TARDIS began to move, she giggled with glee, the infectious sound bubbling through the control room until all three of them were laughing with delight.

******

Viola was a quick learner and within three trips she was helping the Doctor fly the TARDIS like a pro. The Doctor had rigged up a retractable step stool around the entire console for Viola so that she could reach all the necessary parts without help. Rose loved watching them together - father and daughter racing around the console, babbling at each other at top speed as they flicked, pressed, and pulled on the controls.

They had settled into a relaxed family routine on board the TARDIS, visiting Jackie, Pete, and Tony on a regular basis in between their adventures to far off worlds and distant times. Occasionally, they would try to leave Viola with Jackie, particularly when their trips could be dangerous, but Viola always kicked up a fuss and most of the time the Doctor would give in and let her come along, rationalizing his decision by telling Rose (and himself) that it was good for her to learn how to protect herself now, while she was still young.

One day, after a rather eventful trip in which the family had been arrested for trespassing and had been forced to make their escape in the dead of night by passing through a swamp filled with horrifying Gallywigs, Viola cornered her father in the library.

"Daddy, I think it's time you taught me how to use the sonic."

He gaped at her. "What?"

"The sonic. I should know how to use it. Actually, you should really show me how to make my own."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." He shook his head, imagining all the different ways a sonic screwdriver could wreak havoc in his young daughter's hands.

"But Daddy, don't you see? The Bwankahs never would have caught me if I had a sonic. You and Mum were tied up but I was hiding close enough that I could have freed you and got us out through the window before General Kawlaka was even in the room."

The Doctor considered this. "Hmmmm, you _might_ have a point."

Viola rolled her eyes. "Of course I do Daddy. You know I'm right. I'm _always_ right!"

He stared at her for a moment. "Wellll, you are _my_ daughter after all, so I suppose I can't argue with that."

With an excited clap, Viola began to jump up and down. "So I can have my own sonic?"

"I suppose." He eyed her carefully, then added, "But only under these parameters..."

*****

Very soon, Viola mastered the sonic, even managing to self-tweak a few of her father's 'parameters', though of course she didn't tell him that. She tinkered with it at night, when her parents thought she was sleeping. Why they thought she needed such an exorbitant amount of sleep was beyond her. She hadn't needed more than four hours a night since she was three years old, but she liked the alone time, so she hadn't bothered to tell her parents.

When she wasn't fiddling with her sonic, she'd spend hours gazing up at the night sky on her ceiling, studying the planets and constellations, listing to herself all the things she knew about them. Her favourite was Kasterborous. She had memorized the position of every interstellar object within the constellation and she liked to imagine what Gallifrey would have been like. She'd close her eyes and imagine the silver leaves, and the orange sky; the dome of the Citadel and the majesty of the mountains. Her heart ached at the knowledge that she'd never get to see her father's home, never get to meet the rest of his race. She yearned for Gallifrey in a way that she knew was unnatural. It wasn't her home, it was her father's and yet still she felt as though a part of her was missing.

One night, Viola noticed a dot within the Kasterborous constellation that she hadn't seen before. She got out of bed, and used the light from her sonic to study it more closely. It looked like a planet and yet how could it be? She knew that planets didn't just form from thin air. They took years to become more than a bunch of scattered particles, but something was definitely there. Something solid and true. Viola's heart beat excitedly; she loved a mystery.

She quickly changed out of her pink plaid pyjamas, throwing on a purple turtleneck and a jean jumper before picking up her shoes and padding down the corridor in her rainbow-stocking clad feet. The console room was empty and a quick inquiry to the TARDIS told her that her mother and father were both sleeping.

She bit her lip and deliberated what she should do. She'd been hoping her father would be up so she could tell him about the strange blip and they could go see what it was about. But she knew that he rarely slept for long unless he really needed it so she didn't want to wake him. Absently, she twirled one of her blond locks with her finger as she warred with herself for several moments before reaching a decision. She was five now and that was certainly old enough to navigate solo. She knew exactly what to do, and she was confident that she could land the TARDIS on her own.

In fact, if she was clever, she could find the strange planet, investigate and pull them back into the vortex without either of her parents ever knowing what had happened. Resolved and determined, Viola quietly pulled out her special step stool, entered the coordinates she'd worked out in her room and got to work. Before long her small, slender fingers were flitting gracefully over the console and the TARDIS drifted out of the vortex. The TARDIS tried to fight her as she eased it toward the foreign object, but Viola's will was strong and she won the battle, urging the TARDIS to its destination. The landing was rough and she would have fallen off the stool if she hadn't grabbed ahold of the break and applied it liberally. She was thrust forward as the TARDIS ground to a halt and the resulting blow to her chest winded her for a moment.

When she could finally get oxygen into her lungs again without wheezing, Viola climbed away from the console and strode to the door. She froze with her hand on the handle, hesitating for the slightest of moments before shoving it open and peering out into the darkness. She blinked furiously as a sudden bright light flooded through the thick, black air. She was having trouble breathing and could barely make sense of what was happening around her. She heard voices speaking to each other, it was something about time science and a final piece of the puzzle, but Viola was barely paying attention, all she could concentrate on was the tightness in her chest, the burning of her lungs. The distant sound of a weapon registered in her jumbled mind even as a stab of pain shot through her body, bringing her to her knees. Her cheeks were damp and she was crying uncontrollably, her choking sobs echoing through the bleak, heavy atmosphere.

She was dully aware of a sudden flare of golden light emitting from the TARDIS. Her attackers fled, yet still Viola cried, the pain she felt causing her to writhe and tremble on the ground before her eyes rolled back into her head and everything went completely still.

_To Be Continued…_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Doctor woke with a start as the TARDIS swayed back and forth violently. Immediately he sat up, alarm bells ringing in his head as he tuned into the TARDIS and felt her fighting. Fighting what? He searched further, dropping the shields he so meticulously kept in place and felt a tiny thread that he recognized as Viola.

"Oh, Viola," he groaned, leaping out of bed to pull on his trousers and a blue shirt. "What have you done?"

Rose, who had awoken at the first jerky movements, was sitting up now too, her big brown eyes round and moist as she watched him dress. "What's wrong? Where's Viola?"

"She's flying the TARDIS," he told her as he pulled on his trainers.

"What? On her own?" Rose sprung from the bed and frantically pulled on her own clothing. "She's only five. What's she doing flying the TARDIS alone in the dead of night?"

The Doctor grabbed his sonic off the bedside table and shoved it into one of his infinite pockets. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." He gave her a quick peck on the forehead before racing from the room with Rose hot on his heels.

He stopped dead as they reached the console room and Rose collided with him gracelessly in her desperation to make sure her daughter was safe. He righted her, promptly gripping her hand, his eyes fixed on the open door at the bottom of the ramp. He heard a cry coming from his daughter and his heart nearly tore in two. His beautiful, golden haired daughter, who hadn't cried a minute since her birth, was sobbing. The Doctor raced forward, pulling Rose after him in his haste to locate Viola, to comfort her. The sound ripped at him and it propelled him to move with an even greater sense of urgency. The TARDIS suddenly emitted a massive burst of energy, rippling through the air and radiating out into the blackness beyond.

"Viola!" Rose's desperate scream echoed through the TARDIS, mingling with an agonizing cry from their daughter.

They finally reached the doors and scrambled through them, each searching frantically for the little girl they loved so dearly.

The Doctor saw her first, lying on the ground writhing in pain, her delicate golden hair sticking to her face where fresh tear stains still lingered.

"Viola." Rose's bottom lip quavered as she dropped to her knees beside her daughter, pulling the small, broken body into her arms as the sobs burst forth in a strangled wail. "Nooo." She buried her face in that golden sea of hair even as the Doctor tried to pull her back to the TARDIS.

"Rose," he said urgently, his own anguish causing his voice to crack. He cleared his throat, trying to force the emotion away. He couldn't afford to fall apart. Not right now. His wife and his daughter needed him and if he allowed himself to feel his heart would break and he'd be useless. "We have to get inside, there's no Oxygen out here, not beyond the TARDIS' force field. We don't know what's out here, or even where we are. It's dangerous. Rose? Rose, do you hear me? We need to get inside now."

*****

The moment Rose saw Viola lying still and silent on the ground, her entire body went numb. _No,_she thought forcefully, _no, no, no. Not Viola, not my precious little baby girl._"Viola," she whispered, letting herself fall to the ground beside her. "Nooo."

As Rose breathed in the familiar scent of strawberries and satsuma that emanated from Viola's coif, her heart shattered and the vacant space in her chest filled with an ache that physically hurt. She was vaguely aware of her husband's efforts to get them inside, but she didn't move. She couldn't. Not when her baby was so motionless and quiet - an unmoving shell of the vibrant person she had become in her five very short years.

She felt the Doctor's arms encircle her waist. Her grip on Viola tightened as he pulled them both back into the TARDIS, slammed the door and swiftly shifted them off the planet and into the vortex.

Rose sank onto the jump seat, tears flowing openly as she studied the lifeless form in her arms.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned Viola, checking her vitals, looking for any lasting signs of damage. "Oh, God, Rose." He choked, blinking furiously. "There's no heartbeat, no brain activity, she's not breathing."

"No, it can't be true. She's not dead, Doctor. She _can't_ be dead."

The Doctor looked down at his daughter sadly, his eyes full of woe.

"She'll regenerate!" Rose looked at him hopefully.

He shrugged helplessly. "We don't know if she's a Time Lord, she could be. But then again, maybe not."

"She has to, she can't be dead, oh Viola, please, please, please, be alive, be all right, be a Time Lord." Rose began to shake violently when her plea went unanswered. "No, no, no. Baby, you're so loved, so wanted, come back to us, please come back to us. We... we... we love you."

Viola's arm moved and for a moment Rose's heart leapt with relief. She was alive! But then her arm slipped, hanging limply in the air as though controlled by an invisible string. Something within her snapped and Rose finally tore her gaze away from her daughter to glare at the Doctor.

"How can you just stand there? She's not moving. She's not breathing. She's our baby. Our precious little golden light in the darkness and you're just standing there staring at her. DO something." Hysteria filtered through her despair and immediately the Doctor was there by her side, holding her in a comforting hug.

"I don't know _what_ to do," he confessed softly. "She's our daughter, Rose, and she's hurt and it's my fault and I can't fix it. All I can do is hope beyond hope that you're right and she'll regenerate."

"Doesn't it happen right away?" Even as she asked it, Rose knew she wouldn't want to hear the answer.

"Usually yes, but I've never seen a regeneration happen with a child so..." his voice broke. "...young. Things are less predictable with youth. Anything could happen."

Rose hugged Viola more tightly. "Please," she whispered. "Regenerate. I can't lose you. I waited so long to get you, to be able to love you, you can't leave me now. Don't die..."

"May I?" The Doctor reached for Viola and Rose reluctantly let him take her from her. He gathered her into his arms as though she were the most precious and fragile piece of crystal in the world. Rose watched, her already tattered heart splintering as he hugged Viola to his chest, and began to sing the Gallifreyan lullaby. Fresh tears spilled upon her cheeks as his voice took on a hint of agony. His voice shook and silent tears trickled down his face but still he sang the familiar words, over and over again in silent vigil and prayer for the child they both held so dear.

After nearly thirty minutes, Rose finally gave in to her darkest thoughts: her daughter was gone. The thought slashed through her body causing her to tremble with grief. She leaned across her husband to kiss Viola's cheek, "I love you, sweetheart," she breathed.

As her lips touched Viola's soft cheek, she was suddenly blinded by a white light so bright it made her retinas burn. The Doctor moved quickly, gently setting Viola on the floor and pulling Rose with him to a coral pillar a few feet away. "Move back!" he shouted. "She's regenerating!"

Light continued to burst from the small child until nothing else was visible. Energy tore through the room, centered around Viola, and then, just as abruptly as it began, the light was extinguished and Rose and the Doctor were left blinking at a figure standing in front of them. She was slightly taller, with rich chocolate brown hair that curled and swirled around her face until it stopped just past her shoulders. Her nose was smooth and round and her eyes were a remarkable shade of blue that glimmered through the darkened TARDIS. She smiled and her eyes smiled with her as a dimple appeared on her right cheek.

She studied her parents carefully. "Daddy? Mummy?" Her deep red lip quivered slightly. "You're not mad, are you?"

Without a word, Rose and the Doctor ran to her, pulling her into a frantic hug. They stood there, safe in each other's embrace as Viola's second heart began to beat for the first time.

*****

The Doctor sat next to Viola's bed, keeping vigil over her as she slept. As he watched the gentle rise and swell of her chest, he surrendered to the thoughts and emotions threatening to claw their way out of his skull. A deep overwhelming guilt shook him to the core. It was all his fault really. He'd taught her how to fly the TARDIS. He'd been asleep when he knew that she was often awake in the wee hours of the night. She'd always stayed in her room though, so it hadn't occurred to him that she might venture out. He still hadn't figured out why she'd done it, and that was driving him crazy most of all. After their tearful reunion following the regeneration there hadn't been time to ask. Viola had collapsed from regeneration sickness and he had promptly brought her to bed to recuperate, before turning to comfort a panicked and grief stricken Rose.

Rose. He was worried about her too. She'd been pale and eerily quiet since the regeneration, hardly leaving Viola's side for more than a moment. She hadn't slept in days and her eyes were haunted, sad. He'd finally convinced her to get some rest with the promise that he wouldn't leave Viola and he would come get her if Viola woke. They were both anxious to have their daughter back, to hear her excited chatter, to hold her in their arms, but he knew from his own experience that Viola needed time. Her regeneration had been particularly violent and the violent ones were always hardest on the body.

He stroked the new mop of curly hair, suddenly nostalgic for the golden blond she'd had since infancy. He was glad she was still alive, relieved that she'd regenerated, and yet he knew that a part of him would miss seeing that wild frizzy blond hair so like her mothers. He knew better than anyone that she hadn't changed, not really, but she was his daughter and the fact that she had changed meant that she had been hurt, and that pained him most of all.

She was a Time Lord. It made sense, and he'd known it was a possibility all along but still a part of him was shaken by the revelation. It certainly explained the resistance to sleep she'd developed as well as her quick wit and sharp mind. He'd suspected for a while now, but he hadn't allowed himself to think beyond that. But, now he knew, without a doubt, and it worried him. Rose was human and he was half human. He knew his time was numbered and it was only now sinking in just what it would mean for Viola to outlive them both to such an extreme. She would have no one to guide her in life, to teach her the laws of time and the universe. His death, when it came, would be a proper death, and it would leave Viola with so much to learn. How would she learn it without him around to help her? Viola, at five, was already an incredible force. She could do things that were impossible for most children her age. But being a Time Lord came with a great responsibility and it was a burden he really wished he didn't have to place upon her young shoulders.

And what about her mother? Viola needed Rose as much as Rose needed Viola. The thought of them not having each other made his soul ache. They had a bond that he could never touch and he feared what it would do to Viola to lose that. She had the power of the Time Lords within her but she still had a choice in how she used that power - and grief could potentially tip her over an edge that shouldn't be approached. He shuddered and berated himself for even contemplating such dark thoughts. Viola would be fine, he'd see to it - somehow.

*****

Rose hesitated outside the door to the nursery before taking a deep breath and opening it hopefully. Her initial disappointment that Viola was still sleeping dissipated into concern as she took in the haunted expression on her husband's face. She knew he was blaming himself for what had happened and though she'd told him multiple times that it wasn't his fault, he still didn't seem to believe her. There were new worry lines on his face, flecks of grey dotted his temples and for the first time, Rose realized with a start that her husband was aging. She'd known it would happen, yet after all their years of marriage it was the first time she'd ever seen him looking old. Her chest tightened as the reality of his mortality slammed into her. He usually acted so much like his Time Lord self that it was easy for her to forget that he wouldn't be travelling the universe forever; that he wouldn't one day regenerate as their daughter just had.

She took another calming breath before walking further into the room, the mug of tea in her hand sloshing slightly. Pausing as she walked past the mirror on Viola's vanity, Rose peered at herself closely, looking for signs of her own deterioration. She was surprised when she didn't notice anything new. She frowned and looked more carefully. If anything, some of the lines she used to have had actually disappeared, and the hint of grey that had once been there, was nowhere to be found. The laugh lines near her eyes were still there, and one or two were on her forehead, but nothing like she remembered from the last time she'd looked closely. She blinked and sighed. She must be more tired than she'd thought. Of course she looked younger than the Doctor, his current body was older than hers. It made sense that he would age faster. With one last glance in the mirror, Rose made her way to the bed, placing her hand lightly on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Doctor? I brought you some tea."

The Doctor startled and jostled her arm causing the tea to slosh everywhere. Rose watched in horror as most of the piping hot liquid landed on her sleeping daughter. She turned to go get a towel but the Doctor's firm grasp on her arm stopped her.

"Rose, look." He pointed to the bed.

Eyes wide, Rose stared as the outer edges of the tea glowed with the golden energy of regeneration and seemed to seep through the blankets and clothing until it was absorbed by Viola's body. As soon as all the tea was gone, Viola stirred, her bright blue eyes fluttering open gracefully as he parents watched, mesmerized.

Viola stretched, sat up and grinned at her parents. "Mum, guess what?"

Bewildered, Rose said the only thing she could think of. "What?"

"This body has molars, see?" Viola opened her mouth wide so they could see the small row of molars along her jaw.

"So you do," the Doctor said, standing up to peer at them. "A nice straight row of them too. Look at that, Rose."

Rose was suddenly reminded of another regeneration and another Time Lord who had frightened her with his exclamation of 'New teeth!' and she let out a laugh as she realized just _how_ like her father Viola really was. "Teeth are very important," she finally managed to say with a straight face.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "They're good for..." He paused thoughtfully. "Chewing."

Viola giggled and Rose was happy to see she'd maintained her sense of humour. "Speaking of chewing, I'm hungry, can I have ice cream?"

Unable to wait any longer to hold her daughter in her arms, Rose scooped Viola up and twirled her as she said, "Of course you can sweetheart. You can have anything you like."

The dimple in her cheek grew bigger as Viola's smile broadened. "Even a pony?"

The Doctor ruffled her hair fondly as he chuckled. "Don't press your luck, kid. She wouldn't let me keep the horse."

"You had a horse Daddy?" Viola snorted, somehow finding this to be the funniest thing in the world.

"It wasn't his horse to keep," Rose explained, glaring playfully at her husband as they headed down the corridor together.

"Did you get to ride it?" Viola asked when she'd calmed down.

"Of course I did," the Doctor said proudly. "Right through a big mirror."

"Wow." Viola stared at him with deep admiration. "You're the coolest Daddy, ever."

_To Be Continued…_


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** Thank you all for the amazing feedback. My apologies for not being able to answer them all yet. I'll get to responding as soon as I'm able. In the meantime, thank you all. Every single one of you is amazing and I am so glad you are enjoying this story.

Chapter 14

"Welcome, to the planet Vanillin," the Doctor announced jubilantly, handing warm jackets that he'd pulled from the wardrobe room to both Rose and Viola, before they stepped out into a snowy field.

Viola wrinkled her nose at the brown fabric. "Didn't TARDIS have anything prettier? You know, like pink, or purple?"

"I just took the first one in your size," the Doctor told her, shrugging. "Put it on, it's cold here."

Viola sighed heavily. "Fiiiine. But next time I want something pretty." She tugged on the jacket and looked around, frowning. "Daddy," she said impatiently, "I _like_ snow, but I thought we were going for ice cream."

"We are!" The Doctor stooped down, pulled a cone from his pocket and scooped up a small chunk of the white snow from a nearby hill. "That's the beauty of it! Vanillin is _made_ of ice cream." He held it out for Viola who licked it, grinned and hurdled herself into her father's arms so enthusiastically that the cone fell to the ground. It is

"It's like a dream come true. Way better than the ice cream parlour on Satellite 2." She planted a sticky kiss on his cheek. "Do you think they have chocolate?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it." The Doctor winked at Rose and was rewarded with an approving grin as he set Viola on the ground and took her hand.

Rose took Viola's other hand. "Let's go. I wouldn't mind some chocolate ice cream myself."

The Doctor led them to a path of large colourful oval stepping stones and Viola skipped happily from stone to stone, dragging her parents along with her. After they'd gone a little ways, Viola stopped and turned back to study the pattern made by the colours. "Red, pink, purple, orange, green, red, pink, purple, orange, green... I like the purple ones best," she declared then looked up at her father. "What are they, exactly."

"Giant sprinkles."

Viola nodded seriously. "I thought so." She turned around. "Okay, let's keep going."

The Doctor laughed. "Indeed."

They walked in contented silence for several minutes before anyone spoke again.

"Are we ever going to get there?" Viola asked sceptically, "I don't see anything that looks like chocolate."

"Viola, be patient," Rose chided, trying and failing to look serious as the bright blue eyes turned to her.

"I've been sleeping for daaaaaaaaaaays, Mum. I want ice cream."

The Doctor ruffled her hair. "We'll be there soon, love. We just have to get past the river of caramel and the fountain of fudge."

Viola stopped walking, her eyes huge. "You're making this up."

The Doctor looked insulted. "I am not." He took her hand again and tugged until she gave in and started walking. "I'll prove it to you."

"But how do you know?" Viola implored.

"I've been here before," he explained. "Weeeelll, not in _this_ universe. It was a loooong time ago now, when I was a different man."

Viola seemed contented with his answer and soon began to chatter happily at Rose about what kind of ice cream was the best kind for fudge.

While they talked, the Doctor's own words echoed through his mind along with mental images of the men he used to be. His thoughts lingered for a moment and the tiniest seed of an idea niggled at his consciousness. He filed it away for later and returned his attention to the moment at hand.

"Ahhh," he said proudly. "See? The fountain of fudge. And right next to it is the Mount o' Chocolate!"

"Oooooh," Viola squealed and ran to the mountain. Within seconds she was devouring handful after handful of the rich, creamy desert. Soon her hands and face were a dripping, chocolaty mess.

"Couldn't you have brought a spoon?" Rose asked him, sighing as she thought about how long it was going to take to get Viola destickified.

"Oh!" The Doctor rummaged in his pocket and pulled out three spoons and three bowls. "I forgot!"

Rose threw back her head and laughed. "Only you, Doctor." She took a bowl and spoon from his hands as she started to walk toward Viola. "You do realize this means that _you're_the one on bath duty, right?" She grinned wickedly and joined her daughter, leaving the Doctor gaping after her.

*****

The door to the TARDIS creaked open and Viola bolted across the front garden and through the Tyler's front door. Viola spotted her grandmother coming out of the kitchen and promptly ran to her, her slender arms encircling the older woman's waist in an affectionate hug.

"I missed you so much, grandma!" Viola exclaimed. "I have so much to tell you." Viola looked up at her beloved grandmother and her face fell at her baffled expression.

She tried again. "Grandma, didn't you miss me?"

"Hello there, sweetheart. I think you've got me mixed up with someone else," Jackie said softly, kneeling down to Viola's level and looking at her in confusion. She reached for the young girl's hand. "Why don't we find your family for you, all right, honey?"

"_Grandma! _It's _me, _Viola."

Jackie looked startled. "Viola? But-" The front door opened again and the Doctor and Rose stepped inside. "What's going on?" Jackie asked the Doctor, glaring at him.

The Doctor shrugged. "Just a teeny bit of regeneration, is all. Viola's fine now. She looks different, but she's still the same person."

"What?" Jackie looked to her daughter. "Rose, what does he mean, 'she's fine now'? What happened to her? Why does she have a different face?" Her voice held the slightest hint of hysteria.

"Mum," Rose said gently, going to her mother. "Do you remember when I came home and the Doctor changed?"

Jackie nodded. "You told me he'd been hurt and he changed his face to survive."

"That's right." Rose guided Jackie to a chair. "A similar thing happened to Viola."

"You got hurt?" Jackie looked at Viola, sadness pouring through her eyes.

"I'm okay, Grandma." Viola climbed onto her grandmother's lap. "I had a little accident is all."

"An accident?" Fear filtered through Jackie's voice.

Viola placed her small hands on Jackie's cheeks, turning her head so she could see her bright blue eyes. "I did something stupid. Something Mum and Daddy didn't know about and I was injured. But then, eventually I grew a new heart and got a new body and now I'm fine and I'm here talking to you."

"Oh, sweetheart." Jackie cuddled Viola to her chest and held her there for a long time. "I'm so glad you're all right." She kissed Viola's forehead. "Are you hungry? Can I get you some tea? A sandwich? Something else to eat?"

"Have you got any biscuits?" Viola asked hopefully.

"Of course, sweetheart. You can have anything you want." Jackie hugged her granddaughter again before setting her down and taking her hand as she led her into the kitchen.

Rose followed, chuckling as she listened to them banter.

"Anything I want?" Viola asked.

"Anything at all."

"Can I have a pony?"

"Where would you put it?"

"In the bathtub."

Jackie howled with laughter as they entered the kitchen.

None of them noticed the Doctor slip into the TARDIS and fly away.

*****

Rose sat in the kitchen frowning down at the cold cup of tea in front of her. Somehow in all the excitement with Jackie and Viola, the Doctor had managed to wander off. The TARDIS was missing too, and that made her worry. It had been hours since he'd vanished. Where did he go in such a hurry that he couldn't even say goodbye? She hated not knowing where he was or what he was doing, and the longer he was gone, the greater her anxiety increased. It wasn't like him to just leave without telling her, and that, combined with the fact that he'd been feeling so guilty about Viola's regeneration, caused her concern to grow even more. He could be unpredictable when he was wrapped up in such dark thoughts, and her greatest fear was that he would do something reckless on his own that would get himself injured, or worse, killed.

The sound of the sliding glass door opening caused Rose to look up. Jackie was carrying Viola and Rose could see that her knee was bleeding slightly.

"What happened?" She said, rushing over to take Viola from her mum and set her on the counter.

"Oh, I'm fine, Rose. It's Viola I'm worried about. She took a little tumble off of Tony's bicycle." Jackie rummaged in a cupboard and pulled out a first aid kit. She returned to Viola and visually inspected the little girl. "It's all right, sweetheart," she said softly. "Granny will have you good as new again in just a mo'."

"I'm okay, Grandma," Viola said with a roll of her eyes. "It's just a little scratch."

"But you're bleeding." Jackie pulled out a bottle of peroxide and made a big show of gently dabbing at the wound and blowing on it.

Assured that her daughter was in good hands, Rose filled the kettle and set it to boil for fresh tea, before turning back to watch the scene. She almost burst out laughing at the expression of pure exasperation on Viola's face as Jackie fussed over her. Jackie gave one last soothing blow and pulled a pink Band-Aid with little cartoon cat faces on it out of the first aid kit.

Viola broke into a wide grin and she squealed. "Oh, Hello Kitty. That's cute!"

Rose smiled, stifling a giggle as she turned her attention to the whistling kettle. Somehow she suspected Viola didn't mind letting her grandmother fuss over her after all.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway and a cacophony of voices neared the kitchen. Tony and Pete entered the kitchen and immediately Pete shot his wife a puzzled look. "Who's this then?" he said, nodding to Viola.

"It's Viola." Jackie said brusquely as she applied a final little kiss over the colourful Band-Aid. "She's regenerated. It's a long story and we don't have time right now because she's hurt her knee, so just accept it and move on."

Pete eyed Viola curiously for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and stepping forward to ruffle Viola's hair. "Hello there, squirt!"

"Hi ya, Petey," Viola retorted with a grin. It was a standard greeting between them and Rose was happy to see that it was continuing despite the change.

Tony smiled at his impish cousin and held out his hand. "Want to come play in the garden with me?"

Viola nodded enthusiastically. Tony helped her down from the counter and took her small hand in his larger one, leading her back outside. "Can we play 'Stone Angels'?" Rose heard her ask.

"What are 'Stone Angels'?" Tony asked.

Viola must have stopped because Rose could no longer hear her footfalls on the deck. "How do you not know about this?" Viola sounded bemused. "Oh, Tony, I have soooo much to teach you..." Her long winded chatter faded into the distance and Rose returned her attention to the others in the room, finally registering the fact that her missing husband was with them.

"Doctor! You're back!" She was about to run to him, but something in his expression stopped her. He looked, tired, and haunted, and if she wasn't mistaken, rather had he been?

"So I am." He offered her a weak smile and that, more than anything else convinced her that something was very, very wrong. She strode over to him, studying his face with concerned interest as she moved.

"You all right?" She was careful to keep her voice low enough that Jackie and Pete wouldn't overhear.

"What? Oh, I'm okay. Just lost in my thoughts." He smiled again and this time he looked more himself. "I'm sorry I was gone so long. I had something to take care of, and it took longer than I thought."

Rose hugged him. "I admit, you had me a little worried there. You usually tell me when you're going off somewhere alone."

He looked sheepish. "I'm sorry. You were busy and it was kind of a time sensitive issue. It's all sorted now."

She examined his face for a long moment, still apprehensive about the emotions she could see there. Finally she decided to let it go. He'd tell her what was bothering him when he was ready, he always did. So instead she distracted him. "Viola learned to ride a bicycle while you were gone!"

The Doctor beamed instantaneously. "Brilliant! Where is she? I want to see my girl on a bike. Always did love to cycle myself. Not very practical in the TARDIS though."

Jackie was staring at him, horrified. "But Doctor, it's too big. She already fell off once and scraped up her knee. I don't think it's a good idea for her to try again."

The Doctor scowled. "Rubbish. She's a Time Lord! She probably barely even felt it. She's tougher than she looks," he finished, pride ringing through his voice. Then, he stepped outside completely ignoring Jackie's further protests.

*****

For the first few days after their visit to Jackie, Rose noticed that the Doctor was quieter than normal. She tried to get him to talk a few times, but though his eyes reflected a deep sadness, he insisted that he would be fine. Finally accepting that he didn't want to talk about it, Rose gave him some space, and kept her worries to herself.

Viola also noticed that her father was not quite himself and after about three days of silence she seemed to have had enough. They were in the library. Viola was reading aloud to Rose from an ancient volume of Lewis Carroll's _Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There_ that she'd found on the shelves, while the Doctor sat moodily in an arm chair, flipping restlessly through a stack of books that Rose knew he wasn't really reading.

"`Twas br- brillig, and the ... um... slithy toves, Did gyre and ... uh... gimble in the ... wabe: All mimsy were the ... the ... borogoves, And the mome ... raths? ... outgrabe..." As Viola read, she kept shooting her father speculative looks.

Finally, after he'd thrown his tenth novel on the floor, Viola closed the book and slid off the couch.

She approached him, her face reflecting a look of pure determination and will. Without a word, she clamoured onto his lap and placed both palms along his jaw line, tilting his head so she was looking into his eyes.

"It will be all right Daddy," she whispered confidently. "Trust me. I know these things." Then she wound her hands around his neck and hugged him.

The Doctor held Viola tightly to his chest, his gaze meeting Rose's for a split second before he turned away, blinking. When he loosened his grip on her, Viola looked up at him again and began to sing the first haunting notes of the Gallifreyan lullaby he'd sung to her every night since she'd been an infant. She stroked his hair absently as the words drifted from her lips. When she was done. She kissed him on the cheek, told him she loved him, and returned to her mother. She opened the book and continued to read as though nothing had happened.

"One, two! One, two! And through and through, The ... umm... vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head, He went ... ga- ga- galumphing back..."

Much to Rose's relief, starting that evening the Doctor's dark mood seemed to fade. She would still catch a glimpse of that chilling sadness occasionally, but on the whole he seemed much more at peace. For that she was grateful.

*****

Viola crawled into bed. She looked up as the door opened and her father entered, carrying a book.

He kissed her forehead and sat carefully on the edge of the bed. "Ready for your bedtime story?"

Viola bit her lip and shook her head.

"No?" He sounded surprised. "What's wrong?"

Viola glanced down at the little pink roses on her comforter for a moment before looking up at her father again. "Daddy, why do I have two hearts when you and Mum only have one?"

She watched as he placed the book on her bedside table before turning back to her. "A long, long time ago, your mum and I lived in another universe. Back then, I did have two hearts."

"_You_ had two hearts?" Viola interrupted, gaping at him. "You used to be like me?"

Her father nodded and Viola thought his eyes looked sad. "I did."

"Did Mum?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Rose has always been human." He looked even sadder as he shook his head.

"How did you lose it, Daddy?" Viola asked.

He frowned. "Lose what?"

"Your second heart." Viola's own two hearts began to beat rapidly in tandem. Suddenly she needed to know desperately. "Where did it go?"

"Weeeellll." He tugged on his ear the way he always did when he wasn't sure how to answer her questions. "It didn't really 'go' anywhere. I regenerated you see --"

"Will I lose my new heart next time?" Viola interrupted, alarmed at the thought. She had quickly adapted to the sophisticated respiratory system and found the thought of losing her new heart troubling.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." Her father stood up and paced in front of her. "How do I explain this?" he muttered.

"It's complicated, Viola, but last time I tried to regenerate, I changed, I became half human. The details are rather technical, and frankly unimportant, but basically, it saved the universe. And it brought me your Mum."

"Oh." Viola sat up, her anxiety over being different from her parents abating. "Is that when you first met her?"

"No, but I'd lost her and she came back to me then."

Viola gasped, horrified. "You _lost_ Mum?"

"It's okay," he assured her. "Your mum came back. She always came back...every time I thought I lost her, she found me again..." He turned away from her and brushed at his eye before picking up the book he'd carried in with him and holding it up. "Shall we start?"

Viola eyed the book he'd brought with him. "Yes, but --"

"But what? I thought _The Secret Garden_ was one of your favourites."

"Oh, it is," Viola agreed. "But tonight I was wondering if you'd tell me _real_story."

"Real? But this _is_ real. It's in a book and everything." He held it out to her.

Viola rolled her eyes. "Daddy, that's not what I mean. I wanna hear more about you and Mum before I was born."

The Doctor lowered the book and peered at Viola. "You want your bedtime story to be about me and your mum?"

Viola grinned. "Exactly." He looked hesitant so she added, "Please?" and batted her eyelashes.

Her father smiled thinly. "I suppose I could do that."

"Oh, goody." Viola clapped and lay back against her pillows as she looked up at him expectantly.

"Well, it all began when the stars started going out, and your clever, clever mother decided to convince Torchwood to build the Dimension Cannon..."

_To Be Continued…_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Time seemed to move faster and before Rose knew it they were celebrating Viola's seventh birthday. After much thought and deliberation, she had decided she wanted to celebrate by attending the opening night of Rossini's _La Cenerentola_. So the Doctor had obligingly set the coordinates to the _Teatro Valle_ in Rome on January 25, 1817. Viola insisted that they dress up for the occasion, and after a quick visit to the wardrobe room they were ready for the show, Rose and Viola in matching light blue gowns and the Doctor in a tuxedo.

After the performance, they exited the grand theatre and strolled down the ancient Roman streets to the alley where the TARDIS was hidden as Viola chattered on and on about how much she loved the story of Cinderella and how she thought that Rossini's version was much better than anyone else's in the entire history of history.

When they reached the TARDIS, Rose and Viola went to change while the Doctor began to shift them into the vortex. No sooner had Rose and Viola reached the hallway when the entire TARDIS began to shake violently, jostling Rose and Viola to the floor. They clung to each other, gripping the grating to keep from sliding as the TARDIS rocked vehemently and sparks began to fly.

"Doctor?" Rose yelled. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. Controls aren't working!" he shouted frantically.

There was an explosion and flames shot up from beneath the grating.

"Daddy?" Viola called, her voice shaking. "Try the biometrometer hyperthermal flub capacitator."

There was a squeal and a crunch and a moment later the TARDIS ground to a turbulent stop. "Viola, you're brilliant!" the Doctor cried, coming to help Viola and Rose to their feet. "I never would have thought of that!"

"I know," Viola said earnestly. She pointed to the door. "Shouldn't we find out where we are?"

"Right, we should."

They walked down the ramp and stepped through the door. Rose froze and tightened her grip on Viola's shoulder.

They were surrounded by at least a dozen Ood chanting something in a language that even the TARDIS didn't seem to be able to translate. The Ood stared at the trio, their red eyes glowing in the dark. The Ood began to close in around them, several Ood now standing between them and the TARDIS. Fear seized Rose's chest. For once in their long life together there was no where to run. They were trapped.

*****

The Ood continued to descend upon them, laser guns aimed at them.

"Weapons?" the Doctor admonished. "Since when do Ood have weapons?"

"Those are the same guns they had when they attacked Tony, Mum, and I a few years ago," Rose recalled.

The Doctor looked at her. "But those Ood were on Earth, we're in the Ood Sphere. How did the weapons get here?"

"I don't know, Doctor, but look out!" The Doctor ducked, just as a blast from one of the guns whizzed by.

He stood up again and stared at the Ood who had shot at him. "This isn't your nature," he said.

The Ood blinked at him as he stepped forward. "Who's controlling you?" The Doctor studied the Ood curiously as though its face would somehow give him a clue as to who was really behind the attack.

There was a bang behind them and they all turned to see at least half a dozen Ood trying to break their way into the TARDIS. The TARDIS door was locked tight and the Doctor knew that she had automatically engaged the shields. It was one of the security protocols he'd added recently.

"I think they want the TARDIS, Daddy," Viola chimed in.

The Doctor pulled on his ear. "I can see, that, but why? What good is the TARDIS to an Ood?"

"Maybe they-- Ahhh," Viola screamed as an Ood grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her side. Rose and The Doctor both tried to go to her but the Ood had reached them too and they each had a laser gun aimed at their backs.

"Doctor, do something!" Rose shouted as the Ood tried to drag Viola away.

Viola began to kick and flail, squirming as best she could under restraint. The Ood holding her stopped suddenly as one of her kicks made contact with his knee. Viola took advantage of the moment by twisting her body in such a way that the distracted Ood couldn't maintain his grasp. Finally free, Viola pulled out her sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the Ood. Nothing happened. She quickly changed frequencies, but again, nothing happened. The Ood was starting to recover. Viola backed away, still fiddling with the sonic settings. The Ood followed her and managed to grab hold of the corner of her skirt. Viola struggled against his grasp, digging her heels into the ground as she aimed the sonic screwdriver at him again. The blue light flickered and the metallic instrument emitted a high pitched squeal. The Ood instantly released Viola and covered his ears as he fell to the ground and let out an anguished wail. After a moment, he closed his eyes and collapsed into a motionless heap at her feet. The other Ood that were closest were also covering their ears.

"Daddy, it's K7528," Viola called out as she aimed the sonic at a nearby Ood and it too sank to the ground in anguish, wailing before it collapsed.

Within an instant, the Doctor had programmed his sonic to the same frequency and the Ood holding himself and Rose captive were also lying motionless on the ground. As he and Viola tended to the rest of the Ood, Rose walked around and moved all of the weapons so that they were out of reach in case the Ood suddenly woke up.

Once the last Ood had fallen, the Doctor slipped his hand through hers. "We have to go, _now,_before they wake up."

Rose squeezed his hand in acknowledgement and they began to run toward the TARDIS. The Doctor reached out for Viola as they neared her and she joined the chain as they continued to run as fast as they could.

When they arrived at the TARDIS, Rose started to push the door open but a sudden blast coming from behind them hit her outstretched arm and she pulled away in pain. Glancing at it briefly, she noticed that the wound was bleeding, but there was no time to tend to it properly.

"EXTERMINATE!" Another blast nearly hit Viola's shoulder but she twisted out of the way in time.

The word rang out through the evening air. Rose felt the Doctor tense beside her even as her own fear began to flow through her own body. "No," she whispered.

The Doctor shook his head. "It can't be, it's impossible."

They turned slowly, the three of them as one unit, to see their worst fears confirmed. Half a dozen Daleks hovered before them, their blue "eyes" gleaming through the dark. There was a solitary, red-eyed Ood with them, holding the laser that had hit Rose. The Doctor aimed his sonic at the enemies before them. The Ood collapsed to the ground, but the Daleks continued to hover, completely unaffected.

A giggle from Viola caused both of her parents to look at her in surprise. "What's so funny?" Rose asked.

"Them." Viola pointed to the Daleks. "They look like giant pepper pots." She giggled again.

"Viola," Rose said, with a hint of urgency in her voice. "Those are Daleks."

Viola's eyes widened and she instantly stopped laughing. "Daleks? But I thought you said all the Daleks were gone, that _you_ killed them and that's why you're even here with Mum."

"Identify yourselves!" the largest of the Daleks ordered. Its eye-piece swivelling between the three of them. It returned to Viola. "You have two hearts. You are Time Lord."

"Yes, she is. And she's _my_daughter, and do you know who I am?" The Doctor stepped forward, staring right into the Dalek's eye.

The Dalek scanned him. "You are neither Time Lord nor human. You are an anomaly."

The Doctor shrugged. "That's one way to look at it. I'm also the Doctor."

"Doctor!" The Dalek backed up.

"You've heard of me." As the Doctor approached the largest Dalek, the others spread out to surround them, trapping them in some kind of energy field. "You're afraid."

"Daleks do not feel fear."

"You could have fooled me." The Doctor studied the six copper Daleks assembled around them. Each of them had a hexagonal symbol with a number inside it, painted on their helmets. "Oooh, I know you. You're from the Hexopian Fleet. There are legends about the lost ship of Daleks who scoured the universe looking to conquer every territory they came across. But then they vanished. No one knows why, or how." He examined the lead Dalek carefully. There was a large roman numeral I painted on it. You must be the leader."

"I am the general for the Hexopian Fleet. We heard of the great time war and we did not want to fight someone else's battle, so we hid and plotted takeover. Before we could execute our plans we were sucked into the dark place."

"Dark place?" The Doctor frowned. "Oh, you mean the void."

"Yes," the Dalek with a III on his helmet said. "The dark place."

"That still doesn't explain how they got to this universe, Doctor."

"We were trapped and then one day, we were free again. We came here and realized we were not in the same universe, but we could not get back."

The Doctor snapped his fingers. "Of course. Rose, remember when the stars were going out, and you were able to travel back and forth looking for me? The walls of reality were slipping. They must have leaked out of the void into this universe."

"Enough!" Dalek I shouted. "Contain the weapon and extract the missing component." Four of the smaller Daleks immediately floated over to the TARDIS and encased it in a blue containment shield.

"The missing component? For what?" The Doctor tilted his head thoughtfully. "Unless..." He glanced at Rose. "The Dimension Cannon..."

Rose looked startled. "What about i- oh! The Ood. They were controlling the Ood and the Ood stole it for them from Torchwood." Rose frowned. "But, Doctor, it can't be that. We retrieved it from the Ood years ago."

"True." The Doctor frowned, his lips pursed, deep in thought.

"Daddy, look!" Viola pointed to a figure in the distance.

All three of them looked up to see an Ood approaching them, holding a large black object. Rose gasped. "That's the Dimension Cannon." She turned to Dalek I. "How did you get that?"

"Torchwood's defences are weak." Dalek I turned to the Ood. "Take it to the others and prepare it for the component."

"Wait, what's the component?" The Doctor asked as the Ood walked toward the TARDIS.

Rose looked puzzled. "What could the TARDIS possibly have that the Daleks would want?"

"I think they want the core," Viola chimed in, her brow furrowed in thought. "It contains the temporal quantummechanics that would be needed in order to manipulate the Dimension Cannon into adequately operating as a space-time coordinator."

Rose did a double take. "How do you know about the Dimension Cannon?"

Viola shrugged and looked at her father. "Bedtime story."

The Doctor ignored them, his face contorted in thought as he considered Viola's theory. "Yes! That's got to be it!" he exclaimed suddenly. "The little piece that came from the other universe, that's what they want! It's been the Daleks, all along - teleporting the Ood, stealing the Dimension Cannon, trying to take the TARDIS, it's all part of some master plan." The Doctor ran his hands through his hair as he paced back and forth. "But what? What you want with a functioning Dimension Cannon?" He turned back to the Dalek leader.

"We must return to our master," Dalek I told him.

"Your master? Who's your master?" Viola asked

"He that birthed our species," the Dalek who was maintaining their prison announced.

"Davros?" The Doctor scoffed. "Davros is dead."

"You lie, Doctor. We know of your tricks."

"It's not a trick," the Doctor insisted, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice. "I know he's dead because I killed him myself. I did what I had to do to save the universe and because of that Davros is dead."

"Murderer!" Dalek I shouted. "Exterminate, exterminate, exterminate."

The Doctor managed to pull them all down to the ground before he fired his gun. Viola screamed. "Daddy, I recognize that sound. That's the kind of gun that shot me when I regenerated." The fear in her voice caused the Doctor to cringe.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive."

The Doctor's eyes darkened and he stood up, glaring at Dalek I. "It was you, you killed my daughter."

Dalek I laughed maniacally. "It was a stroke of luck for us when you landed on Ribinea. We'd lost track of the component, but that stop helped us trace it so we could lure it here."

"That stroke of luck will be your downfall." The Doctor's glare was rife with fire. "There's a reason they call me the oncoming storm." He aimed his sonic at the Dalek containing them. It didn't do more than confuse it for a moment, but that was enough. The Doctor freed them of their prison and quickly picked up the nearest abandoned Ood weapon. He handed it to Viola, before tossing a second to Rose and stooping down to pick up one for himself.

"Aim for the eyes, and stay away from the plungers," he instructed them before charging at Dalek I. Viola turned to fight the Dalek that had imprisoned them, while Rose raced over to try and free the TARDIS.

Rose fired the laser gun and managed to hit the Dalek closest to the TARDIS door. It spun its blue eye toward her and fired back. She easily ducked the blow and walked closer. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Exterminate!" the Dalek cried.

"Not so fast." Rose picked up a second laser gun and fired both at once. As the Dalek spun wildly from the hit, Rose suddenly realized that her wounded arm, wasn't hurting at all. She spared a quick glance at the area but all she could see was smooth, unmarred flesh. _That's odd_, she thought, _I know I was bleeding earlier. Now it looks like I was never injured at all. It's only been a few minutes, how could I heal that quickly? That's not possible." _ Her mind still whirring, she fired the guns again, this time at one of the other Daleks, who had come to protect his comrade. _I healed myself, that's the only explanation, but how? I've never done that before._Suddenly random memories began to flood her mind and she realized she had done it before, just nothing this big. Little nicks in the shower, or bruises that faded quickly. _I haven't actually had a proper injury since before Viola was born,_Rose realized. Her eyes widened as realization dawned. With the exception of Viola's birth, she hadn't felt any real physical pain since the time she was attacked by the Ood with Tony and Jackie. And even Viola's birth hadn't been nearly as bad as she had expected.

Rose was fighting three Daleks now, but she barely noticed. She just kept shooting at them, and ducking their counter-fire while the monologue continued to play out in her head. _Ever since I became the Bad Wolf again, everything has changed. I stopped aging, I was able to have Viola, I heal faster, I can sometimes hear the TARDIS in my head and occasionally Viola. Have I become the Bad Wolf permanently?_The answer came to her immediately, as though she had already known, but not consciously. _I've always been the Bad Wolf. It's a part of me. But it was dormant until I was shot by the Ood. _Rose gasped. _I was dead. And I came back to life. I can't die._The truth of the thought resonated through her whole being. Her next thought shook her almost as much as the first. _The Doctor, he doesn't KNOW. He needs to know. _

The last Dalek she'd been fighting was hit and Rose was no longer under attack. Instead the Daleks were still and resting on the ground. The blue light from their eyes had been extinguished. The Ood with the Dimension Cannon had fallen, and the device lay abandoned on the ground. There was still one Dalek at the TARDIS, working with determination to get in. Rose was about to walk toward it when almost a dozen more Daleks descended from the sky.

Rose froze and watched in horror as most of them circled the Doctor, pointing their guns at him and shouting, "Exterminate." In that moment, as she saw him fight eight Daleks at once, she realized that her longer life was a curse. He was human now, and vulnerable. She couldn't die, but he could. If he was hit by a Dalek, he wouldn't regenerate. He'd _die_. And even if he survived this battle, what about the next one? Or the one after that. Suddenly his life seemed so fragile. If he didn't die in combat he would die of old age. No matter what she did, she was going to lose him one day and she and Viola would have to go on without him.

She glanced at her daughter who was determinedly fighting two Daleks at once and winning. What did she know about raising a Time Lord? How would she be able to teach Viola the laws of the universe? Even though Rose now knew, without a doubt that she would live a long time, she also knew she wasn't equipped with the knowledge needed to teach Viola. She needed her father for that. Rose choked on a cry as she turned back toward the Doctor. He had taken out five of the Daleks and was still fighting.

One of the new Daleks fled the battle with the Doctor and floated toward Viola who had her back turned.

"Time Lords must not survive. Exterminate." The Dalek fired and the stream was headed directly for Viola.

"Nooooo," Rose screamed, running toward her daughter at break-neck speed, the skirt from her dress flapping against her legs. She knew the hit wouldn't kill her, but Rose couldn't bear to have her daughter go through another regeneration so soon. It wouldn't hurt her at all, it wouldn't change her; she had to get there first.

The Doctor turned at the sound of Rose's scream, watching in horror as she raced toward the killing blast.

"Rose. Stop. Nooooo..." he shouted, anguish apparent in his features. He blasted his way past the last few Daleks he had been fighting and raced forward with a single focus: get there before Rose.

"No, Doctor, please go back," Rose cried as he bolted toward her. _He doesn't know,_her brain screamed again. _He needs to know... now._ "It's okay, I'll be all right," she called urgently. "Doctor, there's something you should know, something I just discovered, I'm the Ba--" before the rest of the sentence could leave her lips, the Doctor arrived and pushed her out of the way as the blow reached them. It hit him square on the chest, right next to his heart. The Doctor gasped and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain for a moment before his body went completely still.

_To Be Continued…_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Daddy!" Viola yelled, rushing forward and throwing herself on top of him. She buried her face in his chest and started to sob. "Daddy, please, please be okay. No, Daddy, I need you."

Rose fell to her knees beside them and gathered her husband's head into her lap. "Doctor, Doctor, please," she pleaded, tears streaming from her eyes.

As Viola and Rose knelt over the Doctor, neither noticed that the Daleks contained them again and floated toward the TARDIS.

"Doctor," Rose cried again, the word coming out in a choked gulp.

His eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air. "Rose..." he moaned, locking his eyes on hers, "Rose... I love you."

He winced as he turned to look at Viola's tear-stained face. "Viola... I..." He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again and tried to sing. "Rashae --" He choked and spluttered.

Viola sniffled and caressed his face. "I'll sing for you, Daddy," she said bravely. Then, in a soft tone filled with emotion she sang to him. "Rashae'Yer, Ohn'Relue, Nakina'Eusa, Shantet'Naquet."

When she finished, the Doctor ran his hand through her curls. "Take care of each other," he wheezed. Then, with one last loving look at Rose, he shuddered and his body fell still and silent once more.

"Noooooo..." Rose's shoulders shook with heaving sobs and she leaned over her husband, tears dripping onto his cheeks.

Viola grabbed her arm. "Mummy," she said frantically.

Rose looked up, startled by the name for her that Viola hadn't used in years. Viola looked like she was in physical pain. "Mummy, the TARDIS, they're hurting her. You have to do something. She's screaming, I can hear her in my brain." Viola covered her ears.

Rose glanced down at the Doctor one last time. She kissed him tenderly - his eyelids first, then his nose, and finally his lips. As her last tears landed on his cooling skin they began to glow white. Rose stood up, her eyes fixed on the TARDIS, _their _TARDIS, the one that had grown from their love. It was surrounded by Daleks. They appeared to be trying to drill into her, to get at her core.

Anger rose up within her, overtaking her pain and grief. It was all so pointless. The Daleks only wanted to get back to help Davros and Davros had already been destroyed. They'd killed her husband and now they were trying to destroy the TARDIS. She couldn't let them take it from her too. Rose closed her eyes and for the first time she deliberately called upon that part of herself that was the Bad Wolf. She felt the power and relaxed, allowing it to flow through her body until her skin was tingling with energy and light began to radiate from her.

*****

Viola stared at her mother in shock. She was glowing, her mother was glowing all white and gold and her eyes were bright with power. Viola didn't know what to think. She watched in astonishment as her Mum waved her hand and the force field around them dissolved.

Rose walked toward the TARDIS. "I command you to stop," she said, her voice lighter and more ethereal than Viola had ever heard it before.

One of the Daleks turned to look at her. "Abomination!"

Another Dalek came forward. "Exterminate!"

"You have used this species for your own games, therefore, now you will become the dirt beneath their feet. The Ood will use you now, to revitalize their planet. You are not important. I return you to the earth where you can be useful." Rose made a fist and the Daleks began to crumble into minuscule particles until they were nothing more than piles of dust on the ground. Viola watched in awe as her mother waved her hand again and the remaining Daleks disintegrated. The TARDIS stopped shrieking and Viola uncovered her ears, watching her mother cautiously.

Rose walked around the wreckage of the battle, gently touching each Ood on the head as she passed them. They awoke, eyes returned to normal, peaceful creatures once more. "I return you to yourselves, and gift you the rebirth of your civilization." She waved her hand toward the village and all evidence of the Dalek invasion disappeared.

Rose circled back to the Doctor, staring down at his lifeless form. The sadness in her eyes made Viola want to hug her. Suddenly Viola's eyes widened and she realized she could hear her mother's thoughts: _Oh, Doctor, this is wrong, we should have more time together. This is__not the natural order of things. But I can fix it, just as I brought Jack back to life all those years ago, I could bring you back, too. We could live together forever._

Viola gaped at Rose in horror. She had no idea who Jack was, but she knew, without a doubt that whatever her mother had done to him was wrong. Just as she knew, with every fibre of her Time Lord being that resurrecting her father was the wrong thing to do. She missed her father terribly, and she would give anything to be able to crawl into the safety of his arms again and read with him or hear him sing the lullaby, but she knew that the natural order of things could not be messed with. Her father was dead and she had to accept it. She couldn't let her mother do it, she just couldn't.

"Mum," Viola said, pulling desperately on Roses sleeve. "Mum, listen to me." Rose glanced down at Viola. "You can't do this. Daddy's gone, you can't bring him back no matter how much we miss him; it goes against the laws of time."

Rose caressed her daughter's face. "My Viola, so young, so very, very, young for so much pain."

"No, Mum, please. Let it go, you have to. His death is permanent, fixed. We can't change it. It would be wrong." Rose hesitated, her glow beginning to dim slightly. "What would Daddy say about this? What would he tell you?"

More of the light dissipated. "He would say that saving one man could change the course of history. That it's the most important thing in the universe." The rest of the light faded and Rose collapsed against the Doctor's body. "Oh, Doctor, you are the most important thing in _my_universe, how will I ever go on without you?"

Viola knelt beside Rose and rested her hand on Rose's back, rubbing in gentle, concentric circles. "It's okay, Mum," Viola said softly. "You've still got me and we'll get through this together, I promise." Rose hugged Viola then and together they mourned for one of the most amazing beings ever to travel the universe.

*****

The Ood graciously offered to give the Doctor a majestic funeral, but Rose declined. She wanted to take the Doctor back to Earth. She knew he would want to be buried on the planet of the species that he most admired and was so fascinated with. So instead, the entire colony of Ood came out and gathered around the TARDIS to bid them farewell. As Viola and Rose sombrely carried the Doctor onto the TARDIS the Ood began to sing. It was a haunting and sad song and yet the melody fit the Doctor so well that it brought a smile to Rose's lips. As the eerie sound floated around them, Rose and Viola laid the Doctor on the elongated jump-seat. Viola took a nervous and shaky breath before stepping onto the stool her father had made for her and beginning to flip controls in preparation for the journey to London.

Before they left, one of the Ood came to the TARDIS door, silently offering them the Dimension Cannon which had fallen to the ground during the battle. Rose nodded, accepting it gratefully and waving to the assembled Ood before closing the door, setting the device on the floor and taking her place by her husband's side.

The flight was incredibly smooth despite Viola's inexperience at flying the TARDIS solo. Apart from the night of her regeneration, she had only ever flown with her father's assistance. The landing was a bit rough, but overall Viola was rather proud of how well she'd done it. They opened the door, stepping into the Tyler living room where Jackie and Pete were standing together, staring at them.

Pete rushed forward. "We were just about to call you - the Dimension Cannon has gone missing again."

Jackie peered at her daughter closely. "What's wrong."

"The Doctor..." Rose managed to choke out, gesturing to the TARDIS before dissolving into tears.

Jackie glanced at the TARDIS and frowned. "What about the Doctor, where is he?"

"He died," Viola whispered, her eyes wide as she watched her mother struggle for control.

"No!" Jackie gasped. "I don't believe it."

Rose took a deep breath, gasped Jackie's hand and led her into the TARDIS, stopping in front of the jump seat.

Jackie stared down at the lifeless form of the Doctor in horror and immediately gathered her daughter into her arms. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

Pete came over and picked up Viola who had followed them into the TARDIS. She had been staring at her father, an uncertain and worried expression on her face. She bit her lip as Pete wrapped his arms around her. She didn't want to cry, not now when her mother needed her, but her own pain was beginning to surface and her head felt so empty without his gentle presence there. The TARDIS had tried to compensate by speaking more loudly inside her brain but it didn't work. Viola knew that her father was gone, and never again would she hear the dulcet tones of his voice as he sang to her, or his ringing laugh, or the perfect voices that he used whenever he read _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland._ Overcome with emotion, Viola buried her face in Pete's neck and let the silent tears trickle from her eyes.

*****

With Jackie and Pete's help they gave the Doctor a send-off fit for a king. He was buried in a nearby cemetery and Rose visited him every day. Sometimes Viola came with her, and other days Rose went alone. The silent graveyard always brought her a sense of peace and she would spend hours there, sitting next to the Doctor's tombstone just talking to him.

One morning, about two weeks after their run in with the Daleks, Rose and Viola were kneeling beside his grave. Viola had picked some wildflowers for him and was obsessively arranging and rearranging them in the small baby food jar she'd brought to serve as a vase.

Something cracked on the ground nearby and Rose looked up from her deep thoughts to see the source of the sound. Rose gasped and rubbed her eyes, convinced that she was seeing things. When she opened her eyes again, her heart suddenly lifted. It wasn't a dream, the Doctor really was standing beneath a tree several feet away. She frowned and looked from him to the grave and back to him again. _What? How could it be the Doctor?_ He was human, he had died. Rose pressed her hand to her forehead. She was imagining things, she had to be.

"Daddy!" Viola yelled happily. She sprang to her feet and sprinted over to him, hurdling herself into his arms. "Daddy, you came back!"

The Doctor smiled wanly and hugged his daughter. "So I did. In a manner of speaking, anyway."

He set her down and Viola eyed him carefully. "Oh, you're not... You're... Oh, I see..." Viola trailed off, looking at him in confusion for a moment. She shuffled her feet back and forth as she stared at him. Rose watched as several different emotions passed over Viola's face: sadness, discomfort, confusion, love.

"You're wrong," she whispered finally, blinking furiously as her bright blue eyes bore into his. "Why couldn't you be _right_?"

His face fell. "Viola..."

"You shouldn't be here," she said sadly.

"I know," the Doctor agreed.

"You're still my Daddy, though?" Her bottom lip quivered slightly.

"Always."

Viola nodded and swallowed determinedly before launching herself into his arms and hugging him tightly.

Rose stood and walked toward them, her legs shaking.

Viola glanced at her briefly before kissing the Doctor's cheek and murmuring. "Mum really needs you."

He looked at Rose then, his eyes locking on hers as he set Viola on the grass and the little girl darted back to the flowers on her father's grave.

"Doctor?" Rose stepped forward and rested her hand against his cheek. "You have the same face."

"I do," he said plainly.

She studied him for a moment and her face fell. "You didn't regenerate." She looked away, hoping he wouldn't see the pain in her eyes.

"No."

"You're from the past, aren't you?" She looked at him again, her eyes watering slightly. She saw the lines on his face, the lovable tufts of gray peeking through his hair. Not too far in the past then.

He nodded. "I am."

Rose gasped as the pieces suddenly clicked into place. "The day you disappeared, just after Viola regenerated and we took her to see my Mum. This is where you came, isn't it?"

The Doctor nodded again. "When I leave here, I'll return to you there."

"You knew. All this time, you knew you were going to die? And you didn't tell me?"

He shook his head and gently reached out to touch her face. "I couldn't tell you, Rose. It's already bad enough that I know and that I'm here. I really shouldn't be. But I had no choice. I had to come. I needed to know that you and Viola were all right."

"We're okay. We miss you though." Rose took his hand from her face and squeezed it gently. "Viola especially. She hasn't been the same since the d-"

He placed his fingertips over her mouth. "You can't tell me. All I know is that I'm gone. I can't know details. It could change the future."

"But, Doctor, if you knew then it could have been prevented, none of this would have --" she choked on a sob and wiped furiously at her eyes.

"No, Rose, listen to me. I'm not here to change things. We can't undo what's been done. My death is a fixed point in time. You know that."

Rose nodded. "But --"

"No. No spoilers."

"Okay." She stared at him for a moment. "How long?" she asked.

"How long?"

"How long have you known? How did you find out?"

The Doctor tugged on her hand and pulled her into a sitting position at the base of the tree. He sat with his back resting against the trunk and his legs open. Rose settled in between and he held her. She nearly cried as she realized just how much she'd missed this; how much she'd missed being in his arms.

"Do you remember the Calirusian Invasion?" He began softly.

"Yes, of course, how could I forget? Viola was only three." She smiled fondly at the memory.

"Yes, that's right. It was before the regeneration. Anyway, do you remember how I did an errand after we sorted everything out?"

"Vaguely. I assumed you were getting something for the TARDIS."

The Doctor shook his head. "No. I went to meet Jake."

"Jake?" Rose sat up and twisted her torso so she could see him better. "Why?"

"I noticed that people were giving us looks all throughout the experience and when Jake showed up and looked just as shocked as the rest of them, I realized that something must have happened." He pulled her back into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I had to know Rose. I had to know what happened. I needed to know that you and Viola were all right." The anguish in his voice melted her heart and she gently kissed his hand.

"We are okay."

"No, you're not," he said, tracing a tearstain on her cheek. "But you will be. First though, let me tell you exactly what happened."

He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, remembering the day as clearly as though it had happened that morning.

_The pub was crowded and noisy. The Doctor spotted Jake sitting at a small table in the corner and he quickly made his way over to him. _

"_We're gone, aren't we? Me and Rose?" he murmured as he sat down. Jake nodded, concern written plainly on his honest face. "Not a word to Rose," the Doctor said. He switched to the matter at hand. "Tell me everything you know." _

_Jake took out his phone, pressed a few buttons and slid it across the table to the Doctor. The Doctor picked it up, his heart beating wildly. He knew should leave it alone. Time Lords never researched their own deaths. But Rose… Viola... He couldn't let it be. Fighting against what he knew was right, he glanced down at the screen and what he saw made his whole body go cold. _

_John Smith: dead, March 21, 2030. _

_Rose Tyler, and Viola Tyler: missing and presumed dead, April 4, 2030. _

_The Doctor frowned. Missing. He needed to know more. He slid the phone back to Jake. _

"_I'm dead," the Doctor said quietly. "Rose and Viola are missing. Do I need to do anything here?"_

_Jake looked more startled than ever. "No! At least, I don't think so… Pete and Jackie – they said Rose and Viola and the TARDIS disappeared soon after that and never came back." _

_The Doctor nodded, thinking it over. _

"_They won't say anything to her, though. The agents. Torchwood's always had a legend going on about you two maybe still being out there, travelin' somewhere. They'll just figure they were right and leave it alone. You two are the stuff of legends, you know."_

"_Yeah, so it's been said," the Doctor said solemnly. "Pete's retired?"_

"_Yeah," Jake confirmed. "But you can bet he'll have heard by now that you're here. Surprised he and Jackie haven't shown up."_

"_They can't see Rose," the Doctor was firm. "She can't know her future. We'll be leaving now. Tell them I'm sorry I couldn't bring her by. Pete will understand. He's a good man."_

"_Jackie'll kill ya if she gets her hands on you." Jake grinned._

"_Yeah, I reckon she will at that." The Doctor grinned back. "All the more reason for us to get moving."_

"Missing?" Rose asked when he'd finished relaying the tale. "But we're not. We're right here."

"What's the date today, Rose?"

"April 4, 2030 - Oh!" Realization dawned and she started at him. "Today. We go missing today?"

"It appears so."

"But how? Where do we go?"

"Well, you see, I've been wondering that ever since I found out. It wasn't until Viola regenerated that I put the pieces together. It's brilliant really. Don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."

"Think of _what_ sooner?"

"How to ensure that Viola gets the guidance she needs after I'm gone."

"I've been worried about that. Ever since..." she trailed off and brushed at her eyes, willing herself not to cry. This was the closest she'd ever get to seeing her husband again and she wasn't going to ruin it with tears. She tried again. "I'm just not equipped to deal with it all, Doctor. I'm not a Time Lord, how can I teach her how to interpret what she sees in her head when I don't have a clue myself? She needs _you_ Doctor."

"I know." He looked over at Viola who was rearranging the flowers for the seventh time since they'd arrived. Her lips were moving and he strained to hear what she was saying.

What he heard broke his heart. "Rashae'Yer, Ohn'Relue, Nakina'Eusa, Shantet'Naquet."

He swallowed hard. "She's singing the lullaby."

Rose nodded. "She has done, every day since it happened. I think it's her way of keeping you alive in her head."

The Doctor blinked furiously and gulped. He wanted to go to Viola and hold her in his arms, to tell her that everything would be okay, but he knew instinctively that she wouldn't let him, not yet.

"How can she get the guidance she needs then?" Rose asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

He sighed. It was now or never. "I'm sending you back."

Rose frowned. "Back? Back where?"

"To him. To the Doctor."

_To Be Continued…_


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note**: Wow, how quickly the time has flown. Here is the seventeenth and final chapter of Part One. I would like to thank ALL of my readers. Thank you all for sticking with me throughout the first part of this tumultuous adventure.

**Chapter 17**

Rose stared at him, baffled. "You're sending us to the other universe?"

"It's the only way, Rose." The Doctor looked down at the grass.

"No." Rose shook her head vigorously.

"Rose, please."

"He abandoned us." Anger that she'd repressed years ago burst through the invisible barrier she'd hidden it behind.

"Viola needs him," he reminded her. "And I suspect that he needs you."

"What do you mean?" Rose frowned.

"He's lost a lot. That does something to a person. Makes them shut down, do things they wouldn't otherwise do."

"He has Donna."

"I don't think he does. I'm not sure she would have survived the metacrisis." The Doctor's eyes narrowed sadly at the thought.

"What?" She fought to hold back her anger.

"There's never been a human-Time Lord metacrisis before, Rose. I doubt her brain could have handled it."

"He knew, didn't he?" Rose's voice was soft, but furious. "When he left us that day, he knew something was going to happen to Donna. He knew that he would be alone again."

"I suspect he had an inkling." The Doctor admitted.

"How _could_he?" Rose exploded. "How could he leave us knowing that he'd end up alone?"

"He made a choice."

Hot angry tears spilled down her cheeks. "No. He took _my_choice away."

The Doctor gaped at her, hurt filling his eyes. "Are you saying you regret your life with me?"

Rose softened instantly, staring at the man who had been her friend, her husband, her lover, her rock, for more years than she could count. She reached out to stroke the side of his head, to run her fingers through his hair, something she'd thought she'd never be able to do again. "No, Doctor, no." Tears continued to roll down her face, but no longer from anger. "I don't regret a single minute of our life together, Doctor. I love you, I will always love you. I need you."

She was sobbing now and the Doctor pulled her into his embrace, tucking her head against the safety of his chest. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head lightly as he held her until her grief subsided. Eventually her sobs turned to gasping hiccups and the heaving of her shoulders eased to a gentle tremble. The Doctor hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her head so he could see her face. With extreme tenderness he dipped his own head and brushed his lips against hers. He could taste the saltiness of her tears as she parted her lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. She returned his kiss with desperation, as though trying to drink him all in so that she would never have to let him go.

Reluctantly he broke the kiss and brushed her hair from her eyes. "Rose," he whispered softly. "Viola needs --"

Rose cut him off, her voice sad and hollow as she nodded and said, "I know." The meaning of her words hung in the air and they sat in silence for a few minutes until Rose asked the question he'd been dreading. "How will you get us there?"

"Well, see, that part I hadn't quite figured out yet." He grinned sheepishly. "We'll have to use the TARDIS, of course, but that doesn't help you get through the void."

"You can use the Dimension Cannon." They both looked up in surprise at Viola who was standing a few feet away from them.

"How did you know what we were talking about?" Rose asked. "You've been over there this whole time." She pointed to where the flowers now sat perched on the gravestone in a beautiful arrangement.

Viola rolled her eyes. "Time Lord hearing, Mum."

Rose laughed. "Oh, of course. Silly me for forgetting."

"Very silly," Viola agreed. She looked at her father. "Hook the Dimension Cannon up to the core of the TARDIS. The two combined will get us through the void. Just like _they_ were going to do."

"Awww, that's my girl." The Doctor smiled at her. "Always knew you were brighter than me."

Viola's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Never." Suddenly she flew forward, thrusting herself into his arms. "Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" he asked, alarmed.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault."

"What?" The Doctor looked startled.

"Oh, no. Sweetheart it's not your fault." Rose reached out and stroked her daughter's hair. "It was an accident."

"But if I had -"

"No," the Doctor said firmly. "Viola, you can't tell me what happened. It's still in my future, I can't know. You should understand why."

She looked at him seriously for a moment. "Yes. I know why. You shouldn't be here you know. It's against the rules."

"I know, but I knew that you needed me one last time."

"I need you always, Daddy."

He kissed her forehead. "I know."

Viola hugged him and took a shaky breath. "If you're going to send us through the void then we should get moving. You have to get back to us."

"You're right. Let's go." He stood, helping Rose to her feet, their hands clasped tightly together. Viola found his free hand, and together, with the Doctor wedged tightly between them, they made their way to his TARDIS.

Before the door closed, Viola turned back to look at the tombstone. "Goodbye Daddy," she whispered softly.

*****

They stopped at the mansion first. Rose quickly explained to Jackie and Pete what was happening and where they were going. She was surprised by how easily they accepted the news.

"We knew you couldn't stay here forever, sweetheart," Jackie explained. "Not without him." She pointed at the Doctor from the past. "Viola needs someone to keep her on the right path."

"Yes, she does," the Doctor agreed.

"Thank you," Jackie said, approaching him. "Thank you for keeping my girls safe. I'm so proud to have had you as a son-in-law." She hugged him then and despite the awkwardness, the Doctor appreciated it.

Jackie moved to Viola next. "Goodbye sweetheart, you take good care of your Mummy, you hear?"

Viola nodded. "Of course, Grandma. We Tylers have to stick together."

Jackie laughed. "That we do, hon, that we do." She hugged her. "I'll miss you."

Viola gave Jackie a sloppy kiss. "I'll miss you too, Grandma."

Viola gave Tony a hug, and then flung herself into Pete's arms. She kissed his cheek and hugged his neck tightly. "Goodbye Grandpa Petey, I'll miss you."

"And I you," Pete told her, hugging her back. "Make sure you're safe out there, yeah?"

"Of course." Viola wriggled out of his grip and waved as she went to discuss strategy with her father from the past.

Rose was left standing alone in the circle of her family.

She said goodbye to Pete first. "Who knew when we met all those years ago that you'd become part of my family for real?"

"We were always family, Rose," Pete replied, brushing a bit of hair from her eyes. "From the moment I met you, it just felt right. I'm so proud that you're my daughter."

Rose threw herself into his arms, burying her face into the shoulder of the man who shared the face and the blood of the father she'd never had, but in time had grown to be the only father she had ever known.

"I'm going to miss you, Daddy..."

Pete hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "I'll miss you too, Rose."

Rose pulled back and looked up at him. "Thank you, for everything you've done for me, and the Doctor, and Viola. And also for making Mum so happy. I know you'll take good care of her."

Pete's eyes were red around the edges as he nodded. "Of course I will. You take good care of that precocious little one over there. And don't you go letting her get away with too much either. Got a streak of mischief in her, that one."

"Oh, don't worry, I've got her pegged." Rose hugged him again and moved to Tony.

Tony had grown tall over the years, and he towered over her. He was in college now and Rose couldn't have been more proud of him. "See ya, Tony." She gave him a hug.

"Bye, Rose. Take good care of yourself." He lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, "And don't worry about Mum and Dad. I'll make sure they're well cared for when the time comes."

Rose smiled tersely and squeezed his arm. "Thank you Tony, that means so much to me."

She turned to her mum.

They stared at each other tearfully for a moment before they ran to each other and embraced fiercely. "I'll miss you, Mum," Rose said.

"I'll miss you too, Sweetheart. I love you." Jackie kissed Rose on the forehead. "You and that little wonder over there are destined for great things. Whenever I miss you, I'll look up to the stars and imagine you're out there somewhere, keeping them from going out."

"We will be, Mum. We'll make you proud." Rose insisted.

"Oh, love, I've always been proud of you. But for all the heartache it's given you, you made the right choice in traveling with the Doctor all those years ago. You were right when you told me he made you better. I didn't see it then, but I see it now. You are amazing, Rose Tyler."

"Oh, Mum." They hugged again and finally Rose pulled away. "I'll never forget you," she whispered.

After that they were ready to go. Rose and Viola slipped into their TARDIS and the Doctor vanished inside the TARDIS from the past. A moment later, in a whoosh of pulsating sound, both TARDISes disappeared.

*****

They reappeared on the beach in the Bad Wolf Bay. Rose shuddered slightly, recalling her two previous visits to this place. The last time she'd been here she'd been consumed by anger at the Doctor for leaving her here without a choice. Now here she was preparing to return to him from the very spot where he'd abandoned her.

The anger she'd buried so many years before began to resurface and Rose fought to swallow it back. She could deal with her emotions for that Doctor later. Right now she wanted to focus on her husband, whom she would never see again.

He stood on the beach watching her, wearing the blue suit that he'd always favoured. She went to him, pulling him into her arms and kissing him frantically with a passion and determination that almost frightened her. He returned the kiss, deepening it by slipping his tongue between her lips and tracing it along the outside of her teeth, the roof of her mouth, the pockets of her cheeks. He devoured every bit of her, knowing that this was the last time she would ever get to kiss him, or feel him, or touch him. If the circumstances had been different he would have dragged her on board the TARDIS to make love to her one last time, but they were running short on time so he was left with only this tiny moment to show her just how much he loved her.

When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, the Doctor looked into the depths of her eyes and bared his soul, much as he had on their wedding day. "I love you Rose Tyler. I have loved you since the day we met and I will continue to love you until the end of time."

Rose swallowed back tears. For the third time, she was standing on this God-forsaken beach, in the cold and the wind, fighting the urge to cry, as she said goodbye to a man she loved above all others. God, she hated this place.

Blinking back the tears, Rose ran her hand through his perfect hair. "I love you, Doctor. Always have and always will. I will never forget you."

The tears spilled over, hot and wet as they drizzled down her cheeks. He kissed her again, a slower, chaste kiss. She responded in kind before gesturing toward Viola who was standing between the two TARDISes, watching them carefully.

He walked over to her and crouched low so he could look into her eyes. Rose watched them from a distance as they spoke to each other in hushed voices. The Doctor seemed to finish imparting whatever wisdom he could upon the young, impressionable girl, and they embraced. He whispered something into her ear and Rose saw a single tear stream down Viola's face. She was so like the Doctor, fighting not to show emotion even when it was warranted. The thought made Rose smile sadly.

As she made her way over to them, she could hear the final notes of a familiar tune and she knew that he had been singing to her; singing to her like he'd tried to on the night of his death. Rose blinked back tears of her own and took a deep breath. It was time.

It only took the Doctor and Viola a few minutes to hook up the Dimension Cannon to the core of the TARDIS.

"Is that what I think it is?" Rose asked as she glanced at the glowing piece of coral he'd pulled out of depths of the TARDIS.

"Yes, it's the heart of the TARDIS. The piece we received on the beach that day. She grew from this, thanks to our love. And now, she'll ensure that you and Viola get safely where you need to be."

Rose ran her hand over the surface of the coral beam closest to her. "She's been good to us, all these years," she whispered.

The Doctor placed his hand over hers. "She has," he agreed softly. "I'll miss her."

"And she'll miss you," Rose added, her voice breaking.

The TARDIS pulsed against their hands in agreement and Rose felt the air get heavy around them as she had once before, years ago when she'd grieved for the baby she thought she'd never have. Once again it felt as though the TARDIS were trying to give her a hug. She sent back hug vibes of her own, and knew instinctively that the Doctor was doing the same.

"Okay, I think we're set," Viola announced, from beneath the console, where she had added the finishing touches on the complicated wiring job she had completed with her father a few minutes earlier.

Rose looked at the tangled mess of wires dubiously. "Are you sure it's safe?"

The Doctor scoffed. "Of course it's safe. It's been put together by two of the most brilliant beings in the universe. It'll get you across." He paused. "Weeeelll, there's a slight chance it might make reality implode, but it's only a very slight chance and in all likelihood we did it right."

"Doctor!"

"Okay, okay. Yes, it's safe. Viola knows what to do," he assured her.

Rose nodded.

The Doctor took her hands in his. "When you get there, find him as fast as you can. He'll probably sense Viola, her telekinetic abilities are getting stronger, but he won't know who or what she is, so you're going to have to explain."

"Okay." Rose hesitated. "Doctor, there's something I should tell you, something you should know..." she trailed off, uncertain of how to tell him the crucial bit of information that could one day prevent him from jumping in front of a Dalek for her. Uncertain if she should.

He looked at her carefully before responding. "Will it stop me from dying?" he asked finally.

"Maybe... probably..." _I hope so_, she added silently.

"Then you can't tell me." He stared directly into her eyes as he spoke and she could see regret and pain. The same regret and pain that had been in his eyes when he'd returned to her after his disappearance two years before. Rose gulped as she realized that _she_had been the cause of that expression.

The Doctor continued. "I can't know anything more about my future when I return to you than I did when I left."

"I know, it's just, if I had only told you sooner, if I hadn't tried to protect you so much, maybe, maybe it would have been different." Rose kicked herself mentally as she thought back to the conversation she'd had with her mother after they'd been attacked by the Ood.

_"You CAN'T tell him about this."_

_"I won't," Jackie said uncertainly. _

_"Promise me." Rose said fiercely, her eyes suddenly glowing again. "Because if he finds out, he might try to remove it again and then I'd lose him - permanently. I need him, Mum, so I need you to keep this from him." _

She had been wrong? If she had told the Doctor then, they would have worked it out together, and he never would have died. Rose covered her mouth, choking on a sob.

"It's not your fault Rose. It is what it is. Don't you dare beat yourself up over this. My death is fixed. It can't be changed. It's time for you to move on." He pulled her into one last hug. As he held her, rubbing her back, his head resting on the top of her head he said softly, "Don't be afraid to love again."

Rose shook her head. She couldn't fathom loving anyone but him. "I love you, Doctor. I'll miss you." She leaned up and kissed him one last time.

He returned her kiss tenderly. "I love you, too," he told her as he moved toward the door. He looked at Viola who was fiddling with a wire on the Dimension Cannon. "I love _both_ my girls. Stick together. Good luck."

"Goodbye, Doctor."

"Goodbye, Daddy."

With that, he stepped out of the TARDIS and closed the door, taking a chunk of Rose's heart with him.

*****

Viola studied the TARDIS monitor and waited for the signal. As soon as she saw that her father had activated the Dimension Cannon using the remote control he'd created, she began to flick and press the appropriate switches and buttons. The TARDIS began to spin and Rose was forced to grab on to the nearest pillar while Viola continued to dash around the console - flicking, pressing, pulling.

The lights began to flicker and the TARDIS spun so fast that Rose was certain her stomach would end up in her throat. The TARDIS started to shake more violently than it ever had before and Rose wondered if they were being pulled apart by the fabric of reality. Before the thought was even fully formed, the spinning and shaking eased.

"We're through the void!" Viola cried triumphantly. "We did it!"

Rose let go of the pillar and walked to the jump-seat, on trembling legs. "Well done, love."

"Oh, it's was all Daddy. I just pressed a few buttons." Viola shrugged.

"Well I still think you did good."

"Thanks, Mum." Viola grinned at her. "Okay, we're in your universe now, where should we go first? I wouldn't mind seeing where you and grandma used to live. Oh, and Donna. I _have_to meet her. Also, I'd love to meet this Jack person."

Rose stared at her daughter in shock for a moment. Where had she heard about Jack? As far as she recalled, he hadn't come up in any of the stories Rose had told her. Her surprise quickly shifted to concern as Viola continued to rattle off a list of places she wanted to visit. She was so like the Doctor, covering her emotions with words and false energy. Rose worried that it wasn't healthy.

"Slow down, sweetheart," Rose cautioned once she'd recovered. "We don't even know yet if our TARDIS will work in this universe."

As if on cue, the TARDIS began to shake again. Rose clung to the jump-seat just in time. The TARDIS landed with a resounding crash. The lights flickered once more before fading out completely. While Rose and Viola watched, the piece of coral attached to the Dimension Cannon pulsed, flickering off for a moment with a creaky moan before glowing green again.

Rose knelt beside it, unfastening the coral and cradling it in her palms. It glowed brighter as it touched her skin, but soon became dim again, flickering twice more. Each time it flickered Rose and Viola could hear an awful, anguished groan, as though the TARDIS were in pain.

"No," Rose cried out, resting it against her chest. "No, you can't leave me too. You have to survive." A tear trickled down her cheek and Viola came behind her, encircling her mother's neck with her slender wrists in a comforting hug.

"It's okay, Mum, you've still got me."

Rose looked up at her daughter, smiling wanly. "I do, at that. And you are the most precious gift I ever could have asked for." She kept the coral grasped in one hand and used to other to squeeze Viola's.

Together they watched in silence as the TARDIS core flickered a final time before it went completely dark.

Rose desperately blew on the coral, hoping to see it shine once more, but nothing happened. She held it out to Viola who tried to take it from her.

"No, no, no! Blow on it! Blow on it!" Rose pleaded.

Viola did as she was asked, frantically expelling air over the piece of coral. "It's not working."

Rose tried again herself, but still nothing happened. She began to sob and Viola crawled into her lap, hugging her tightly and grieving with her. Rose gave herself over to her grief, letting it overwhelm her. She had lost everything and it felt as though the losses had taken her soul. Her husband was dead, she was miles from home with her young, impressionable and grieving daughter, and now the beloved TARDIS that had been birthed from the love between her and her husband was gone as well.

She cried until she had no more tears and her breath came in gasps. She hugged her daughter more tightly, rocking slightly as she composed herself. They were here for Viola, she reminded herself, and for Viola's sake, she had to get up, had to move on. She couldn't afford to fall apart any longer, she had to pick up the pieces and help Viola. Rose closed her eyes, mentally saying goodbye to the TARDIS before standing, taking Viola's hand and leading her to the door.

It was time to see where and when they had landed so that they could find the Doctor and begin the next phase of their life.

_FIN PART ONE_

_**Author's Note:**__ As some of you may have already guessed, there WILL be a sequel to this story, but thanks to RL it will take a while for me to get it to you. In the meantime, I will be writing some short stories to fill in some of the gaps in the 20 years of Rose, The Doctor, and Viola's lives that are featured in this story, and I will happily accept reader input on what you would like me to write about. So, if there is a missing scene that you are dying to see, a moment of Viola's early childhood that you would like to read more about, an expansion of an existing scene that you're dying to read about, leave a message in the comments or send me a PM with your request and you just might get to see your selection come to life sometime in the near future! _

_I have decided to call this series "The ShakespeareVerse" so any stories within it, will be labelled accordingly._


	18. Where Are You Roaming? Preview

**Author's Note:** Hi Folks! Since I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting the sequel to this story for a very long time, I thought I'd post the prologue to the sequel here for you all. Yes, that's right, the sequel is finally in the posting stage! It's called "Where Are You Roaming?" and so far this prologue and the first chapter are up. I've already posted the first four chapters on one of my other sites so in order to catch up I'll be posting the prologue and the first three chapters about every two days over the next week. Following that, I shall post a new chapter every Friday. I hope you enjoy this little teaser!

**Where Are You Roaming?**

**Prologue**

_I don't care who you are, the Time Lord victorious is wrong!_

The words rang through his mind, the impact of them hitting him more forcefully now than they had a moment before. His eyes widened in horror and he slumped against the TARDIS, needing it to support him as his knees weakened.

_What had he done?_

Slowly he turned, sensing the Ood before actually seeing it. And he knew.

"I've gone too far." His entire being lurched at the realization, and he sank to his knees in the cold, unforgiving snow.

He stared at the Ood, terrified. "Is this it? My death?"

The Ood merely blinked at him and he felt both of his hearts stop for an instant. He was done. It was over, all of it.

"Is it time?" His shout sounded desperate in the quiet of the night.

The Ood vanished then, and the Doctor stood, still reeling from the shock of it. With shaking hands he let himself into the TARDIS. For several long moments he stared at the console, lost in thought as the cloister bell began to toll.

He'd gone against everything he believed in, everything he'd stood for. And for what? Now he'd never see the people he loved again. He winced in pain as he thought of them. Of Jack whom he'd once abandoned. Of Rose whom he'd loved, lost, found and lost again. Of Martha whom he'd wronged in so many ways. Of Donna. Wonderful Donna who'd done such amazing things but didn't, couldn't ever remember...

"No!" he cried suddenly, springing into action.

He moved quickly, his fingers flying over gadgets, flicking and twirling buttons and knobs as he frantically programmed the TARDIS.

This wasn't the end. It couldn't be.

_He_ made the rules now and he wouldn't allow it.

_TBC_


End file.
